NYC Mayoral Election Early Voting Surges Toward Historic Turnout

Early voting in the highly watched 2025 New York City mayoral race has surged, with nearly 400,000 ballots cast in the first six days, more than doubling early turnout compared to 2021 and surpassing the primary's early vote count. Young voters under 50, who tend to support Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, have been steadily increasing their share of the early vote, narrowing the gap with older voters who historically dominate turnout and are more likely to back independent Andrew Cuomo. As of the midpoint of early voting, older voters aged 55 and above hold a slim majority of about 51% of ballots cast, but their advantage is diminishing as younger voters gain ground. While Cuomo benefits from strong support among seniors, Republican Curtis Sliwa is also appealing to this group, possibly splitting the older vote and complicating Cuomo's path to victory. Despite a rainy day causing a dip in turnout, overall early voting figures point to a historic participation level ahead of Election Day on November 4. Experts caution that high turnout among older voters does not guarantee Cuomo's success due to the competitive dynamics with Sliwa and the rising youth turnout favoring Mamdani.