Rush to the polls: New York votes early in record numbers, driven by rent, prices and Mamdani

What happened

Early voting for the November 3 midterms began in New York on Saturday and runs until November 1. According to CBS New York, more than 86,000 city residents voted on the first day, almost double the first day four years ago. After three days, the unofficial citywide total stood at 224,894, according to NBC New York, led by Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Statewide, more than 485,000 people voted in the first two days, Spectrum News reported, about 85 percent more than in 2022. Experts caution that the numbers say nothing about which party the voters favour.

The main contest is the race for governor: Democrat Kathy Hochul faces Republican Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive endorsed by President Trump. A Quinnipiac poll from October 21 has Hochul ahead 55 to 41 percent, with the cost of living named as the top issue.

The mood on the ground

At an early voting site in Flatbush, Brooklyn, conversations were almost entirely about money, CBS New York reported: child care for grandchildren, gas and food prices and above all housing costs. One voter said the increases had simply become too much.

Hochul campaigned in Brooklyn with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, promoting cheaper child care and free school meals. Blakeman counters that people are unhappy under Hochul and promises tax cuts and electricity bills cut in half. On Staten Island, a Republican stronghold, he is counting on record turnout.

The Spanish-language paper El Diario describes a race shaped by two figures who are not even on the ballot: Trump and Mamdani. One analyst sees historically low support for Hochul among parts of the Jewish electorate because of Mamdani's criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. Meanwhile, voters told NBC how important it is for Latinos to use their vote, including on behalf of those who cannot.

Voices from the media