NYC voters run to the polls on first day of early voting — with impressive five time increase to last mayoral race
The Big Apple’s hotly contested mayoral race sparked a massive first-day voter turnout Saturday, with about five times more voters hitting the polls compared to 2021 as early voting kicked off, according to the Board of Elections.
The increase comes as a high-stakes showdown to replace Mayor Eric Adams pits former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an Independent, against Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Party nominee and beret-wearing Republican Curtis Sliwa.
The New York City BOE reported a total of 79,409 early voter check-ins as the polls closed Saturday night – a sharp jump from the 15,418 who showed up when early voting began four years ago.
New Yorkers casting their ballots on the first day of in-person early voting in Manhattan on Oct. 25, 2025. Michael Nigro
Officials said 24,046 ballots were cast in Manhattan, 22,105 in Brooklyn, 19,045 in Queens, 7,793 in the Bronx, and 6,420 in Staten Island.
The numbers are staggeringly higher than first-day turnout in 2021, which recorded 4,563 voters in Manhattan, 3,751 in Brooklyn, 3,441 in Queens, 2,079 in the Bronx, and 1,584 in Staten Island, data showed.
Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa voting at the American Museum of Natural History on Oct. 25, 2025. Robert Miller
Melissa DeRosa, Cuomo’s longtime top aide, touted the boost on social media.
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“If these numbers hold, we could see 1.9M person turnout,” she wrote.
Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, is currently leading in the polls by double digits in the race to oversee the city’s $115 billion budget and nearly 300,000-member workforce.
His victory in the Democratic primary drew controversy because of his far-left views and he failed to get backing from many prominent mainstream Dems.
Nevertheless, polls show the 34-year-old Queens Assemblyman trouncing Cuomo by nearly 20 points, 46.7% to 28.6%, while Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder trails in a distant third at 16.2%, according to a new survey of voters released Friday by Victory Insights.
If elected, Mamdani, a Ugandan-born Palestine supporter, has vowed to arrest Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal if he sets foot in the city.
Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani taking a selfie with supporters during a campaign stop in Brooklyn on Oct. 25, 2025. Aristide Economopoulos
Throughout the campaign, the mayoral candidates have fiercely clashed over hot-button issues, including crime, homelessness, affordability, and ties with Israel and President Trump.
Adams, a centrist Democrat, suspended his faltering re-election bid last month after fundraising stalled amid a federal probe into corruption allegations, from which he was later cleared.
Many races are unopposed or noncompetitive, with registered Democrats holding a more than 6 to 1 advantage over Republicans in New York City.
The 2021 race pitted Democratic nominee Adams, who was an overwhelming favorite, against Sliwa during the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. Adams trounced Sliwa with 66.99 percent of the 1.1 million votes cast.
Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo greeting supporters outside an early voting site in Co-Op City in the Bronx on Oct. 25, 2025. J.C. Rice
Cuomo’s spokesperson hailed the early turnout this year as a sign of hope for his campaign.
“It’s been clear most voters don’t want New York City to be a socialist experiment with a diminished police force, no jails, decriminalized prostitution, a weakened education system that encourages mediocrity,” said Rich Azzopardi.
“This is the most important election of our lifetime and the turnout thus far shows that New Yorkers know it.”
A rep for Sliwa, meanwhile said they thought the numbers were good for them.
“We actually have a solid get out the vote early voting effort. I’m positive a lot of this activity is ours. Cuomo has no ground game, doubt it’s much in his favor,” the rep said.
Reps for Mamdani couldn’t immediately be reached.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
