NYC Early Voting Surges 70% Ahead of Governor’s Race
Nearly 300,000 New Yorkers voted during the first four days of early voting, marking an increase of almost 72% from the previous midterm election, according to data from the city Board of Elections.
Election officials reported that 294,604 city residents had cast ballots between Saturday and Wednesday, ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3.
The total was just over 3,000 votes short of the early-voting record set during last year’s mayoral election and more than 120,000 votes above the figure recorded at the same point in 2022, the last election featuring a gubernatorial race at the top of the ballot.
The Bronx has accounted for a significant share of the increase.
Unofficial figures show that the Bronx recorded more than 30,000 early votes through Tuesday—nearly twice the number cast at the same point in 2022, when about 16,000 ballots had been submitted. That election pitted Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul against Republican Lee Zeldin.
The Bronx had recorded nearly 25,000 early votes at the same stage of last year’s mayoral contest, in which eventual winner and Democratic Party nominee Zohran Mamdani faced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Staten Island and Queens have also posted modest increases, with each seeing roughly 2,000 more voters participate in early voting than at the same point in last year’s mayoral election.
Manhattan and Brooklyn recorded approximately 82,000 and 86,000 early votes, respectively, during the first four days, according to the data.
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At the same point in 2025, Manhattan had surpassed 89,000 voters, while Brooklyn had exceeded 92,000.
The strong early-voting numbers could benefit Democratic candidates in heavily Democratic New York City.
State Board of Elections enrollment data shows that New York has about 6 million registered Democrats, 3.4 million voters unaffiliated with a party and just 2.8 million registered Republicans.
In this year’s races, Hochul is being challenged by Republican Bruce Blakeman, while Democratic Attorney General Letitia James is facing Republican candidate Saritha Komatireddy.
Hochul holds a 14-point lead over Blakeman, while James leads Komatireddy by 15 points, according to the latest Siena University poll.
A recent Marist poll put Hochul’s advantage at 11 points and found Blakeman ahead among independent voters.
Early voting continues through Sunday. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov. 3.
