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NYC mayor’s race gets record early turnout fueled by young voters
By
Brigid Bergin
and
Joe Hong
Published Nov 3, 2025
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Brigid Bergin
By
Brigid Bergin
and
Joe Hong
Published Nov 3, 2025
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A record number of New Yorkers headed to the polls during the nine days of early voting that concluded Sunday — including a significant number of younger voters who polls show are likely to support Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.
The city Board of Elections said 735,317 voters cast ballots during early voting, more than five times the number of early voters in 2021. Voters 55 and under made up 56% of the early vote, reversing a trend during the first days of early voting, which were dominated by Gen X and Boomers.
“The question of whether the people under the age of 35 were going to show up to vote has been answered,” Laura Tamman, a political scientist at Pace University, said. She called the turnout a “meaningful shift” that was likely good news for Mamdani.
Voters ages 25-34 made up 20% of the vote, according to elections officials.
Experts project overall turnout in the Nov. 4 election could hit between 1.5 million and 2 million. Final turnout will include mail ballots. Board of Elections data indicate 234,376 ballots were sent to voters, and as of Thursday morning voters had returned nearly 85,000.
During the first four days of early voting, Boomers accounted for 51% of ballots. That signaled a possible path for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s independent campaign, since polls showed him performing better with that age group.
Voters 55 and older made up 44% of the early vote by the end of early voting.
As voters waited to cast their ballots at the YMCA in East Flatbush on Sunday, Mamdani’s momentum was palpable in a line with an estimated wait of up to 50 minutes. The site is in a City Council district that went for Cuomo in the June primary.
George Hutchinson, a 55-year-old Con Edison worker, said the election has sparked important conversations between him and his wife Lorrie, who works for the Department of Education. He was voting for Mamdani, while she was keeping her decision to herself.
“I've had enough of the old-school, old way of doing things, and I'm hoping the devil I don't know is better than the devil I do know,” he said.
Demetrice Prince, 45, called himself, “a Cuomo guy.”
Brigid Bergin
Cuomo picked up a major infusion of financial support last week from former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who gave $1.5 million to a super PAC supporting his campaign. Cuomo’s closing arguments have included direct appeals to voters in more conservative areas of the city, like South Brooklyn and Staten Island, and pledges to protect the character of their low-density neighborhoods. He warned “diversity can be a weakness if you have antipathy among groups” during an appearance on MSNBC on Saturday.
The former governor is seeking to assemble a coalition of centrist voters to defeat the Democratic nominee. He is planning a five-borough tour Monday, according to his campaign.
“What we have been seeing from the early-vote turnout is enthusiasm and a wake-up call," Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said. "New Yorkers want a government that works.”
He said Cuomo’s message has increasingly resonated with broader swaths of voters. “As we have been prosecuting our argument about how Zohran Mamdani is dangerously inexperienced and his plans are unworkable, the age of our support has become younger," Azzopardi added.
Mamdani’s campaign said more than 100,000 campaign volunteers knocked on more than 1 million doors in the four months since the primary election. Volunteers knocked on more than 331,000 doors in just the last week, the campaign said.
“New Yorkers know what we’re up against: a billionaire class funneling millions to protect a system that puts profits ahead of people,” Mamdani campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec said. “That’s why our volunteers have given up their weekends and their nights to knock doors, make calls and prove that people-powered politics can beat big money.”
Another Mamdani supporter at the East Flatbush poll site, Andrea Montesdeoca, 33, said many of the people she grew up with in the city are now gone because they could not afford to stay.
Adam Egre, 44, and Andrea Montesdeoca, 33, are Mamdani supporters. Montesdeoca lamented that many of her friends had to leave the city due to the cost of living.
Brigid Bergin
“I always say about New York, ‘It’s really, really hard to get here, but it’s even harder to stay here,” said Montesdeoca, who runs an indoor plant business. “I feel like [Mamdani] really understands that and kind of want to preserve it, too.”
Demetrice Prince, a 45-year-old screenwriter and artist, called himself “a Cuomo guy,” citing the former governor’s experience. His wife, who is Swedish, backs Mamdani, but she can’t vote since she's not yet a citizen.
“So it’s like our household is split,” Prince said.
“ When you go to apply for a job or something, you don't just jump straight to the top to be like the CEO,” he added. “ New York is like the top post, and when you're applying for a top-post position I believe that you should have some type of experience.”
Daniel Gillmor, a 49-year-old technologist, said he was skeptical Mamdani could achieve his goals, but still supported him.
“I would love to have a mayor who at least tries,” Gillmor said.
Ballots must be received by the Board of Elections by Election Day to be considered valid. Polls are closed Monday but will reopen Tuesday.
Tagged
Politics
Zohran Mamdani
andrew cuomo
curtis sliwa
elections
new york city
Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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Joe Hong
Joe Hong is the investigative data reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. He previously covered K-12 education for several newsrooms across California. His reporting has led to local reforms in juvenile justice system as well as a state law requiring universal screening for dyslexia. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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