District 42 is based in the easternmost neighborhoods of Brooklyn, covering most of East New York (including its New Lots, Spring Creek, and Starrett City subsections) and part of East Flatbush.

[3] Shirley Chisholm State Park is also located within the district, as are many of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge's western islands.

[5] In 2019, voters in New York City approved Ballot Question 1, which implemented ranked-choice voting in all local elections.

Under the new system, voters have the option to rank up to five candidates for every local office.

If one candidate surpasses 50 percent in first-choice votes, then ranked-choice tabulations will not occur.