New Yorkers brace scorching heat to vote in high-stakes NYC mayoral primary
New Yorkers are trickling out to the polls Tuesday to vote in local elections — including the hotly-contested Democratic primary for mayor — bracing a heat wave that's projected to drive the mercury to at least 100.
As of 9 a.m., nearly 99,000 New Yorkers had voted Tuesday, according to returns released by the Board of Elections.
That's in addition to more than 380,000 New Yorkers who cast ballots during last week's early voting period, more than twice the number who participated in early voting during the 2021 primaries for mayor and other local offices.
In total, just over 1 million New Yorkers voted in the 2021 primaries.
Based on the early numbers from the BOE, the 2025 turnout could exceed the 2021 levels.
The top item on Tuesday's ballot is the Democratic mayoral primary, which has turned into a two-man race between ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
In Brooklyn's Prospect Heights neighborhood, a steady rush of voters streamed into PS9 to cast their ballots Tuesday morning, even as the temperatures began climbing into the 90s.
Several local residents said the voting was smooth and quick at PS9, with few, if any lines, though it was crushingly hot inside with no air conditioning and few fans.
Polls are open citywide Tuesday until 9 p.m.
The Board of Elections is expected to release the results of the first round of voting shortly after polls close. However, the board won't start tabulating the ranked choices until next week, meaning New Yorkers likely won't know who their next mayor will be until then.
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