Turnout was way up in the first two days of early voting over the weekend, with voters over 55 making up a majority of overall voters.
Data showed 164,190 voters cast ballots Saturday and Sunday. That’s five times higher than the first weekend of early voting four years ago, when Eric Adams, then the Democratic nominee, was heavily favored to become mayor.
The weekend turnout also far eclipsed the turnout from the first two days of early voting in the June primary, when 66,631 voters cast ballots.
Voters ages 55 and older made up just over 50% of the early voting turnout, marking a dramatic shift from the Democratic primary when younger voters, ages 25 to 34, dominated turnout during early voting, according to an analysis of voter data obtained by Gothamist.
Voters ages 25 to 34 make up nearly 16% of the early voting turnout so far, down from nearly a quarter of the turnout during early voting in the primary.
Experts say the demographics could spell good news for fellow boomer Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent for mayor. The most recent Quinnipiac University poll showed the 67-year-old former governor tied with Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani among voters ages 50 to 54. Cuomo was four points ahead among voters over 65 in that poll.
“ You’d rather be the Cuomo campaign. This will definitely give them some encouragement,” said Laura Tamman, a political scientist at Pace University.
Tamman said it is particularly difficult to predict turnout in an off-year municipal election. She said the surge in turnout among younger voters in the primary was transformative, but she has been wondering ever since, “ Are the young people who were so excited going to come back?”
“We’ll have to see,” Tamman said.
A Cuomo campaign spokesperson said the early voting turnout numbers were a sign of things to come.
“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 and a weakened education system that encourages mediocrity,” spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said. “This is the most important election of our lifetime and the turnout thus far shows that New Yorkers know it.”
The Mamdani campaign said it is leaning into door-to-door outreach to persuade as many voters as they can between now and Election Day.
“Our volunteers knocked over 150,000 doors in the last week alone,” spokesperson Dora Pekec said. The 34-year-old state assemblymember held a rally at Forest Hills Stadium on Sunday night with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gov. Kathy Hochul, who reportedly faced more jeers than cheers from the crowd.
Pekec said the crowd included “10,000 fired-up New Yorkers ready to turn the page of the billionaire-backed politics of small ideas and build a city everyone can afford.”
A spokesperson for Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa’s campaign has not yet responded to a request for comment. Polls have consistently shown Mamdani with a double-digit lead over Cuomo and Sliwa in third place.
Sandie Green, 54, in Crown Heights said she struggled to make up her mind about whom to vote for in the race, declining to share her pick on the first day of early voting Saturday. She said she researched the candidates and ultimately wanted someone who would help protect the city from President Donald Trump.
“I hope they’re able to keep us secure and safe to help fight them off,” said Green.
Several voters at poll sites in Manhattan and Brooklyn said the city needed to change.
Ivan del Angel, 43, of the Lower East Side said he was voting in support of more affordable housing.
“The city is too expensive and hopefully Mamdani makes some changes,” he said.
City Council districts on the Upper West Side and Upper East Side had the highest turnouts, according to early voting data.
At this point in the June primary, two districts in Brooklyn had the highest numbers of voters, particularly in neighborhoods like Park Slope, Kensington, Clinton Hill and Crown Heights.
Ryan Kailath and Ryan Kost contributed reporting.
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