Day one of early voting in New York City’s general election is over, and a whopping 79,409 people cast votes on Saturday, according to the New York City Board of Elections.
For comparison, just 15,418 people citywide took part in the first day of early voting in 2021, when the last mayoral election took place, according to the board.
This year’s first-day turnout in Manhattan alone far exceeded that total, at 24,046 early voters. So did Brooklyn and Queens, at 22,105 and 19,045 early voters respectively. The Bronx, meanwhile, tallied 7,793 early voters, and Staten Island counted 6,420.
New Yorkers are voting for the city’s next mayor, as well as for city comptroller, public advocate, and their borough presidents and city councilmembers, as well as some judges, depending on where they live. The Brooklyn and Manhattan district attorneys are on the ballot for voters in those boroughs.
They’re also being asked to weigh in on six ballot questions. The first statewide question is related to state forest land, while questions two through five are about housing development in the city. The final one is about moving the city’s election cycle to even-numbered years to coincide with the presidential election.
New York City’s nine-day early voting period runs through Sunday, Nov. 2. You can find more information about who and what is on the ballot in Gothamist’s voter guide. You can also find your early voting site here.
New Jersey voters also made their way to the polls on Saturday to begin voting for who will succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy in this year’s race between Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli.