Early voting in New York saw a surge of nearly 70% compared to four years ago, with some upstate counties more than doubling their early turnout, according to unofficial data released Monday by the State Board of Elections. The nine-day early voting period saw a total of 1,965,043 votes cast between October 24 and November 1, an increase from 1,178,676 in 2022.

In New York City, early votes rose by 60%, from 432,634 in 2022 to 690,526 this year. Suburban and rural upstate counties experienced a 70% increase in early voting, with 1,274,717 votes cast compared to 746,042 in the previous comparable period.

Competitive Districts Show Strong Turnout

Competitive congressional races in swing suburban and upstate districts appear to be driving some of the increased early turnout. The race to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik in the red-leaning 21st House District in North Country has become a notable contest. In four counties within this district—Clinton, Essex, Oneida, and St. Lawrence—early voting more than doubled compared to 2022 figures.

In Clinton County, early voting increased from 3,930 to 7,323. Essex County saw turnout grow from 1,457 to 3,460. Oneida County's early votes jumped from 8,682 to 17,363, and St. Lawrence County's went from 2,681 to 6,375.

The 17th House District in the lower Hudson Valley also reported substantial increases in early voting. In Rockland County, early voting rose 81% from four years prior, with 44,184 votes cast compared to 24,355.

Statewide Races and Party Reactions

Key statewide races on the ballot include the gubernatorial contest between incumbent Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman. The race for attorney general features Democratic incumbent Letitia James against Republican Saritha Komatireddy. Joseph Hernandez is challenging incumbent Democrat Tom DiNapoli for comptroller.

State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs expressed optimism about the early returns, suggesting they were promising for his party. Conversely, State Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox indicated that Republicans have also been encouraging early voting and seeing strong participation.

Early voting was relatively new in 2022 and was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have influenced in-person voting habits. Polling for Election Day will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday.