New York City saw a nearly 60% increase in early voting compared with the last gubernatorial election four years ago, with more than 690,000 people casting ballots ahead of Tuesday’s contest between Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman.
A total of 690,526 New Yorkers checked in at early voting sites during the nine-day period that ended Sunday, according to unofficial figures from the city Board of Elections. That’s an increase of 257,892 voters, or 59.6%, from the 432,634 who voted early in 2022, when Hochul faced Republican Lee Zeldin.
The biggest percentage increase came in Queens, where early voting jumped 83.4%, from 88,840 voters in 2022 to 162,914 this year. The Bronx followed with a 73.1% increase, rising from 39,069 to 67,630 voters.
Brooklyn, which led all five boroughs with 219,536 early voters, saw a 62.3% increase from 2022. Staten Island recorded a 45% increase, while Manhattan saw a 41% jump.
Who voted early?
FILE: New Yorkers cast their votes on Primary Election Day on June 23, 2026.Photo by Ethan Stark-Miller
Registered Democrats accounted for 75.8% of early voters, compared with 10.6% registered Republicans. Another 11.4% were unaffiliated with a political party, while 2.2% were registered with other parties.
The figures are based on BOE records analyzed by amNewYork and reflect party enrollment, not which candidates voters supported.
Voters age 50 and older accounted for 60.6% of NYC’s early-voting electorate, despite making up just 46.6% of registered voters in the five boroughs as of Oct. 1, according to a recent analysis prepared by Gotham Polling & Analytics for AARP New York.
Of those who voted early, 34% were 65 or older, while 26.5% were between 50 and 64. Voters ages 35 to 49 accounted for 20.8%, and those between 18 and 34 made up 18.6%.
On Staten Island, 43% of early voters were at least 65, the highest share of any borough. The borough also had an almost even split between registered Democrats and Republicans who voted early, with 21,002 Democrats and 20,993 Republicans.
Brooklyn had the youngest early-voting electorate, with 47.2% of voters under 50.
In the Bronx, where early voting increased sharply from 2022, four in 10 voters were 65 or older. Registered Democrats accounted for 81.9% of the borough’s early voters, the highest share citywide.
While early voting substantially outpaced the 2022 governor’s race, the city fell short of the turnout recorded during last year’s mayoral election, when Zohran Mamdani was elected.
In 2025, 735,317 New Yorkers voted early, compared with 690,526 this year — a decline of about 6.1%. But the Bronx bucked that citywide trend. It was the only borough to record more early voters than in the 2025 mayoral election, with check-ins rising 15.3%, from 58,661 last year to 67,630 this year.
Every other borough saw a decline from 2025. Early voting fell 11.4% in Manhattan, 9.9% in Brooklyn, 3.2% on Staten Island and 2.2% in Queens. Much of the difference emerged on the final day of early voting.
Through the first eight days, citywide check-ins were just 1.9% below last year’s pace. But on the final Sunday, 117,740 people voted early, compared with 151,212 on the final day in 2025. The figures represent in-person early voting check-ins, not overall election turnout, which will also include ballots cast on Election Day and by mail.
Final push from Hochul and Blakeman
Hochul meets voters in Brooklyn, Friday, Oct 30.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Heading into Election Day, affordability remains a major concern among New Yorkers.
An Oct. 21 Quinnipiac University poll found that 22% of likely voters statewide named the cost of living as the most important issue in deciding their vote for governor, followed by the economy at 19% and immigration at 13%. A separate Marist poll released Oct. 28 found that 45% of likely voters said their family’s finances had gotten worse over the past year.
Hochul has maintained a double-digit lead in recent public polls.
An Oct. 28 Siena survey put her ahead of Blakeman 54% to 40% statewide, including a 67% to 23% advantage in NYC. But the same poll found that 35% of likely voters believed neither candidate would make life more affordable for average New Yorkers, compared with 30% who chose Hochul and 27% who picked Blakeman.
Hochul spent the final weekend campaigning across NYC and Long Island, including a Friday morning stop outside Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal, where she said voters had thanked her for child care programs, rebate checks and housing initiatives. She also scheduled several campaign stops across Manhattan on Monday, the eve of the election.
On Sunday, she joined Mayor Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at a Buffalo Bills watch party in Astoria, Queens, marking the first time Ocasio-Cortez had campaigned in person with Hochul this election cycle. Hochul also campaigned with City Council Speaker Julie Menin on the Upper East Side, while she had several campaign appearances across Manhattan for the rest of Monday.
“I’m not taking anything for granted,” Hochul told amNewYork in an interview last week. “I’m working hard through the election.”
Blakeman during a campaign stop in the Bronx on Thursday, Oct. 29.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Blakeman, meanwhile, campaigned in Harlem on Thursday before heading into the final weekend with a statewide tour focused on taxes, utility bills, crime and immigration.
The Nassau County executive made stops on Long Island and upstate Sunday, with his campaign scheduling five more appearances Monday in Nassau County, the Buffalo area, Rochester, Syracuse and Binghamton.
Blakeman also had help from President Donald Trump, who held a telephone rally Saturday for several New York Republican candidates. Trump praised Blakeman’s record as Nassau County executive and attacked Hochul, urging his supporters to vote.
“You have to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” Trump told supporters, urging Republicans to turn out Tuesday even though his name was not on the ballot. The appeal came as national polls showed Democrats leading Republicans ahead of the midterms, with control of both the House and Senate at stake.
Polls will be open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.