New Yorkers raced to the polls Saturday as early voting kicked off in one of the vital heated mayoral races in current reminiscence.
Folks casting ballots at early-voting websites all through town cited issues over reasonably priced housing, public security and the necessity for improved transportation within the 5 boroughs as they selected between Democratic nominee and front-runner Zohran Mamdani, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who’s operating as an impartial, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
“For the city to be a functioning city into the future, everybody has to be able to have an affordable place to live,” Brett Cott mentioned as he exited an early-voting ballot web site at Bronx Supreme Courtroom Saturday. Cott, 54, marked his poll for Mamdani. “It’s a huge problem for everyone,” he mentioned of the housing subject.
One other subject on Cott’s thoughts was public transportation.
“We use the subway and the buses,” he mentioned. “Those things are always important to us.”
Early voting on the Bronx County Supreme Courtroom Home on the Grand Concourse is pictured Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Rebecca White / New York Every day Information)
Others voting at Bronx Supreme Courtroom fearful about homeless on the streets, public security and the economic system.
Bronx resident Corretta Thomas, 54, was additionally involved with housing. She voted for Sliwa, a radio-show host and founding father of the Guardian Angels.
“I didn’t vote for him because he’s a Republican,” she mentioned. “I voted for him because he knows what all New Yorkers need. I think he will address the problems and he doesn’t have too many scandalous issues.”
“Sliwa is more realistic,” she mentioned. “Mamdani is like in a dreamworld, in my opinion.”
Sliwa on Saturday participated in early voting, casting his poll on the American Museum of Pure Historical past on the Higher West Aspect. Mamdani spent the day visiting small companies in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, and Cuomo met voters in Queens and the Bronx.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo greets residents and enterprise homeowners in Co-op Metropolis on the Bartow Mall on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Rebecca White / New York Every day Information)
Cuomo, accompanied by his daughters, met up with voters in Co-op Metropolis, within the Bronx, the place he grabbed a slice of plain cheese pizza from a pizzeria, shook palms with locals and met with enterprise homeowners at a retail strip close to BartowAve. and Asch Loop.
Cuomo mentioned, whereas laughing, that he believes he has a “100%” probability of profitable the election.
“I think what New Yorkers are looking for is a mayor who can actually do the job, not a slick politician on TikTok,” he mentioned, in a transparent dig at Mamdani. “I know how to make the government work. I know how to get things done. I know what this city needs. I know what they want. They want public safety, more police. They want affordability. They want jobs. They want a future. They want a better quality of life and that’s what I know how to do.”
Supporters of Cuomo snapped pictures and selfies with him and greeted the mayoral candidate.
“I think he’s a strong candidate,” Crystal Types, 42, a Bronxite from Soundview who obtained to take a photograph with Cuomo, mentioned. “I believe him when he talks. He’s very stern and I feel like he’s been in the field for so long. He knows what he’s doing. I have more faith in him because I know he’ll get the job done.”
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo takes a selfie with Crystal Types in Co-op Metropolis on the Bartow Mall on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Rebecca White / New York Every day Information)
As a crowd of round 30 individuals gathered, John Orama, 63, who works in healthcare, greeted Cuomo and informed him how a lot he supported him. He mentioned he’s an enormous Cuomo fan.
“He’s always looked out for New Yorkers,” he mentioned.
One other supporter, Emmanuel Udoji, 61, who lives a number of blocks away, mentioned Cuomo’s place on colleges is the distinction maker for him.
“Of course, because I’m interested in education,” he mentioned. “That’s the most important thing.”
Folks forged their ballots throughout early voting on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Picture/Olga Fedorova)
The mayoral election has taken some eyebrow-raising twists over the previous couple of weeks, from Mayor Adams dropping out of the race and throwing his help to Cuomo, after calling him a “snake and a liar” simply weeks earlier, to Cuomo coming beneath hearth for his function in an trade throughout which conservative speak present host Sid Rosenberg mentioned Mamdani, who’s Muslim, could be “cheering” a second 9/11 assault.
In the meantime, Sliwa on Wednesday rage-quit WABC. The longtime, standard radio-show host, claimed his former colleagues, together with station proprietor and GOP energy dealer John Catsimatidis, had been berating him to drop out and make the race a one-on-one between Cuomo and Mamdani, giving the ex-gov a greater probability of profitable.
Mamdani, the front-runner within the heated contest, had his personal points heading into the election, between having to apologize for his extra leftist views vital of the NYPD and having to elucidate his noncommittal responses to pivotal poll questions on housing that might restrict the Metropolis Council’s enter on growth tasks.
Mayoral candidates, from left, Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa. (Barry Williams/NYDN and Theodore Parisienne/NYDN)
NYPD cops had been assigned to every polling place, however the first day of early voting went off and not using a hitch, police mentioned. Voters mentioned the traces weren’t very lengthy and moved fairly easily.
“It’s not like on Election Day where there’s a line because everybody’s going in,” Cott mentioned. “It’s pretty low-key and chill.”
Walquiria Reyes, 46, who breezed into the Bronx polling web site along with her 12-year-old daughter in tow, mentioned homelessness and town’s dealing with of the mentally sick had been on her thoughts when she darkened the oval on her poll for Mamdani.
“The most important issue right now is the homeless people in the streets, absolutely,” she mentioned. “I think, in this country in general, there needs to be some kind of mental institutions. Such a big place like America should have something like that.”
“I don’t have too much trust in these people but Mamdani,” she mentioned. “He’s giving us basically everything we want to hear. He gives you the best vibe.”
Early voting on the Bronx County Supreme Courtroom Home on the Grand Concourse is pictured Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Rebecca White / New York Every day Information)
Regardless of backing out of the race, Adams’ title will stay on the poll, election officers mentioned. So will that of impartial candidate Jim Walden, who bowed out of the election in September.
However the mayoral candidates aren’t the one names on the poll. Voters will even be requested to vote for his or her native metropolis councilperson, in addition to for public advocate and comptroller.
In Manhattan, District Legal professional Alvin Bragg is operating for reelection towards two opponents, Republican Maud Maron and impartial candidate Diana Florence. Brooklyn voters will even be requested to vote for DA, although incumbent Eric Gonzalez is operating unopposed.
Voters will even be requested to weigh in on 5 Constitution Fee poll questions, together with those Mamdani is having bother with, in addition to a state measure.
Greater than 1 million New York Metropolis residents voted early in final yr’s presidential election — a brand new document for early voting, metropolis officers mentioned on the time.
By comparability, about 1.1 million Gothamites in complete — or roughly 21% of all registered voters within the metropolis — forged ballots within the 2021 mayoral election received by Eric Adams. The 2021 turnout was the bottom complete in trendy metropolis historical past.
Early voting on the Bronx County Supreme Courtroom Home on the Grand Concourse is pictured Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Rebecca White / New York Every day Information)
Throughout the June Democratic main, barely greater than 34.5% of the ballots had been forged early. One other 3.6 p.c of ballots had been mailed in early, based on NYCVotes.
Election watchdogs count on extra early voters this yr than final. Jarret Berg, co-founder of VoteEarlyNY, informed The New York Instances that the mayoral race has the six “C”s — a aggressive contest with compelling candidates and collective concern.
“That’s the idea that we’re all in this moment and this election actually matters, so people will be motivated to show up on a chilly October weekend when they could be doing pumpkin patch stuff,” he mentioned.
Anybody wishing to vote early can discover their early-voting ballot web site by visiting elections.ny.gov/early-voting.
Initially Printed: October 25, 2025 at 5:08 PM EDT
