Early voting for the Nov. 5 presidential elections in New York City began this past, with record voter turnout reported.
The city’s Board of Elections announced that over 140,000 voters checked in on the first day, surpassing the 2020 presidential election by more than 50,000 check-ins, despite the pandemic at the time.
Out of all five boroughs, Brooklyn had the most check-ins, clocking in at 40,289 on the first day, followed closely by Manhattan with 38,237.
Queens came in third with 31,671 check-ins, the Bronx had 16,462 and Staten Island 13,486.
Despite the massive lead and the fact that New York hasn’t voted a Republican for president since 1984, this did not slow down New Yorkers from continuing to cast their votes.
The reason for the record early turnout was likely due to the increasingly controversial nature of this year’s elections. The sharp divide in political opinions between the two candidates was also a major factor driving the increase.
Tricia Haynes, an educator in her 50s from Springfield Gardens, said that her biggest deciding factor was Project 2025, the controversial plan created by the Heritage Foundation for a Conservative administration.
“I have a 16-year-old daughter, and I think it matters a lot for her to be able to make her own choice,” Haynes said.
One of the project’s main goals is to completely get rid of abortion access, which Haynes was not in favor of.
In New York City, Vice President Kamala Harris held a dominant lead in the polls over former President Donald Trump, which eventually led to Harris winning New York State as a whole.
While many New Yorkers were focused on the presidential elections, there were also other important state elections that could swing either way.
According to the New York Post, New York had seven competitive races for the House of Representatives, the results of which would decide which party takes control of the House.
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was up for re-election, as well as the seats in the state Senate and Assembly.
“I’ll be here at 7 [a.m.], and if I have to, I’ll bring my little chair and I’ll sit there and wait,” Alpine James, a retired member of District Council 37 said.
In the state’s battleground congressional districts, many more Republicans voted early compared to 2022.
“NY Republicans are turning out in record numbers for early in-person voting, vastly outperforming our 2022 margins in every seat, some by 50%,” Alex DeGrasse, executive director of upstate New York Rep. Elise Stefanik’s campaign, said.
In addition, New York officials made it a priority to ensure security and fairness in preparation for this year’s election races.
According to ABC7 NY, Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke about the state’s $140 million investment to modernize election infrastructure, which included improved security.
“This work is non-partisan, it’s not about who you vote for and as governor, it’s my duty to protect the right of every citizen to safely participate in our elections,” Hochul said.
In any case, New Yorkers continued to realize the importance of casting their votes as early as possible.
Mike Shannon, a 65-year-old retired police lieutenant who currently works as an elementary school teacher said, “I try to always vote early, and it doesn’t matter what the election is. I know that a lot of people sacrifice for our privilege of voting.”
