Early Voting Wrap-Up: Young Voters Make Impact

The early voting period has concluded, and it turns out the young have taken the lead.

Data indicates that voters under 40 comprised the entire early voting demographic, which is quite eye-opening.

Results from the city’s election commission reveal that democratic socialist candidate Mamdani narrowly beat Andrew Cuomo’s former administration after a series of ranked-choice votes.

The average age of New Yorkers participating in the nine-day early voting segment from June 14-22 was 43, according to Board of Elections data.

First-time voters have surged too, with around 22,000 votes cast by newly registered New Yorkers this election cycle.

Approximately 385,000 New Yorkers voted early in the primary, which is nearly 10,000 more than the last mayoral primary in 2021. This might reflect the effectiveness of Mamdani’s grassroots efforts.

Polling has shown that Mamdani, at 33 years old and a councillor from Queens, has garnered substantial support among voters under 50.

A recent Emerson College Polling/Pix 11/The Hill survey revealed that younger voters support Mamdani by a 2-1 margin, while Cuomo finds more favor with older Democrats.

Insiders near Cuomo’s team expressed concerns prior to the primary, pointing out a lack of coordination in his campaign compared to the energized youth backing Mamdani.

“There’s no organized effort to get out the vote,” remarked a source about Cuomo’s campaign.

“If they don’t mobilize these votes, they’ll face a loss.”

Reports suggest Cuomo’s internal polling indicates he is leading by just six or seven points.

“The union fears it has wasted millions trying to elect Cuomo, only to find itself in a tight spot,” remarked a source.

Another Democratic insider criticized Cuomo’s late start on ground operations, stating, “You can’t wait until the last minute to figure out where to focus your efforts.”

A well-informed source shared their disappointment, saying Cuomo is “running one of the worst campaigns I’ve ever seen,” having squandered the significant lead he initially had back in March.

“It’s just a wealthy candidate relying on donations. There’s no real outreach happening,” the operative added.

In total, around 385,000 New Yorkers participated in early voting, a marked increase compared to nearly 191,000 in the previous 2021 primary.

On the last day alone, data shows that about 80,000 voters cast their ballots early.