Tech:NYC Digest: November 4

Tech:NYC Digest: November 4

November 04, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Wednesday, November 4, 2020As NYC’s reopening and recovery efforts continue, the digest focuses on the resources that help you make decisions about your businesses and your lives as New Yorkers.Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

It’s been a long 24 hours, and undoubtedly most of us are still refreshing our feeds as more election results trickle in today. We don’t want to take too much of your attention, so here are some quick updates on what we know and what it all means for New York:

  • More than 2.5 million people voted early in-person across New York, and at least 1.2 million absentee ballots have been returned by mail. 7.3 million total votes have been counted so far, not including any absentee votes, and turnout is expected to reach record levels. (New York Times)

  • VP Joe Biden easily won New York’s 29 electoral votes, but final tallies in the state might not be known for days — or even weeks. (New York Times)

    • Local boards of election in the state won’t even begin counting absentee ballots until this Friday, Nov. 6 at the earliest — that’s because the State Board of Elections must first complete a review confirming there are no issues of fraud before absentee ballots can be opened and counted. Local boards also have until next Tuesday, Nov. 10, to receive mailed absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day. 

    • The boards must report results to the state by Nov. 28, and certified results must be sent to the Electoral College by Dec. 8.

In New York, there are more than 20 local races where Republicans lead Democratic incumbents in suburbs that are still too close to call. It could be days before we get more concrete projections, but the impact could significantly change the dynamic in Albany next year. (New York Times)

  • Here’s what we know about the New York State Legislature:

    • In South Brooklyn, challenger Vito Bruno (R) is eight points ahead of incumbent State Senator Andrew Gounardes (D), but only by 6,000 votes. Gounardes has a chance to pull ahead after all absentee ballots are counted but it will be very close. (New York Daily News)

    • On Long Island and in the Hudson Valley, five Senate Democrats are thought to be too far behind Republican challengers to keep their seats, but the volume of absentee ballots still to be counted could change that outlook. Democrats will not succeed, however, in flipping Long Island’s three open, previously Republican-held seats. (NY State of Politics)

    • In Buffalo and Rochester, however, Senate Democrats flipped three Republican-held seats. (Buffalo News)

    • In the State Assembly, nine incumbent Democrats representing NYC suburbs, outer boroughs, and upstate districts are unexpectedly running behind Republican challengers at the moment. Several are considered too far behind to make up the difference with absentee ballots. (AP)

    • All of this means that the Senate Democrats will fall short of the 42 seats needed for a veto-proof supermajority next year and will likely face a net loss of two to three seats. (Times Union)

  • When it comes to New York’s congressional delegation:

    • NY-11: In Staten Island, Nicole Malliotakis (R) is eight points, or 37,000 votes, ahead of incumbent Max Rose (D). While he has not yet conceded, absentee ballots aren’t likely to help him completely close the gap. (New York Times)

    • NY-15 and NY-17: Ritchie Torrres and Mondaire Jones both won their races in the Bronx and Hudson Valley, respectively, becoming the first openly gay Black members of Congress. (BuzzFeed News)

What does this all mean for New York? No matter who wins the presidential election, both the city and the state face some high-stakes challenges, especially when it comes to the prospects of federal aid for pandemic-wrought revenue shortfalls. (THE CITY)

  • Unemployment in NYC still sits at a grim 14.1 percent, and an estimated 560,000 jobs will be lost by the end of the year.

  • The MTA is facing a $16.2 billion deficit, and without federal aid, significant service cuts and workforce reductions will be unavoidable.

  • Both residents and landlords are worried about what happens when the eviction moratoriums expire, but with the state facing a $59 billion revenue shortfall, rental subsidies would need to come from Washington.

There are still plenty of moving parts, so while all of this gets further sorted, our advice: buckle up and be patient. 

And of course the pandemic continues, so here are a few COVID-19 updates you should know:

  • Confirmed Cases: 

    • New York State: 515,815 (+2,126)

    • New York City: 266,393 (+795) 

    • Statewide Fatalities: 25,868 (+14)

    • Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.5 percent (no change)

  • The number of daily coronavirus cases in NYC continues to climb. The city’s 7-day rolling average hit 605 cases, up from 552 cases a week ago. In early September, the rate was hovering around 300 cases. (New York Daily News)

  • Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus coordinator, wrote a memo warning that officials were too focused on preventing lockdowns and not stopping COVID-19, which she says will result in a new, “deadly phase” of the pandemic. (New York Times) 

  • New scientific research shows that one in five — or about 1.7 million people — in NYC have now been infected with coronavirus. (NBC New York)

Check these sources for verified information from government agencies and public health authorities:

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