Tuesday’s winter storm could impact special election

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A winter storm watch is in effect, and the potential for 5 to 8 inches of snow could impede voter turnout for Tuesday’s special election. That’s when voters will determine who will fill the seat once occupied by George Santos, who was expelled from office late last year.

Vying for the seat are former U.S. Rep Tom Suozzi, the Democratic nominee, and Nassau County Legis. Mazi Pilip, the nominee for both the Republican and Conservative parties. A Newsday/Sienna University poll last week shows the race as tight, with Suozzi at 48% and Pilip at 44%, with a margin of error at 4.2%.

With early voting ended Sunday, some are speculating as to how the potential for a winter storm will impact voter turnout.

Meanwhile officials are providing updates on their storm preparation plans.

“We are exceptionally prepared for anything that Mother Nature sends our way,” Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino told Newsday.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said at a news conference that crews “will be out salting the whole time and we will also be plowing if necessary starting very early in the morning.”

But with the special election ahead, Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton is stressing the importance of safe roads to town and county officials. Rather than prioritizing a “favored candidate,” she said the focus should remain on “keeping roads passable and preserving our safety and quality of life,” she wrote in a letter to Blakeman.