Early Voting Opens in New York and New Jersey; Mayor Mamdani Casts Ballot at the Met

Early in-person voting for the November 3, 2026 general election opened on Saturday, October 25, producing strong first-day turnout across New York and New Jersey. More than 86,000 New Yorkers cast ballots on opening day — nearly double the first-day total from the 2022 midterms — with lines stretching out the door at busy poll sites including the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani voted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue, expressing support for all five city charter ballot questions and for Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul's re-election bid. The headline statewide contest pits incumbent Governor Hochul against Republican challenger and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, with polls showing Hochul leading by double digits. Hochul spent the day campaigning in Buffalo while Blakeman appeared on Staten Island. Early voting in New York runs through November 1; New Jersey's early voting window also opened on October 25 and runs through November 1, with Election Day falling on November 3 for both states.