The Upper West Side Has A Special Election Coming Up

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Even though New Yorkers already voted for new representatives this winter, the Upper West Side has one more election coming up, and voting starts this Saturday.

This is because Brad Hoylman-Segal, who represented District 47 in the State Senate, was elected as Manhattan Borough President in November, and he took office in January, leaving his Senate seat open.

There are two candidates for this race — Erik Bottcher, a Democrat who currently represents Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, Greenwich Village and the West Village in City Council, and Republican Charlotte Friedman, who hasn't held a public office yet.

Friedman's platform is focused on fighting socialism, antisemitism and improving safety, per her campaign website.

Bottcher's career has been focused on "fighting for equality, serving his community, and ensuring that government works for the people it serves," according to his campaign website.

Whoever wins the special election will have to run another primary campaign again in June for the regularly scheduled State Senate elections.

Senate District 47 represents Manhattan's west side from the West Village through the Upper West Side, cutting off at West 103rd Street, so all voters registered in this district are eligible. To see if you're within the district, click here for a map.

Early voting begins on Jan. 24 and lasts until Feb. 1. The election day is Feb. 3. Find your polling site here.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.