Early voters are younger than usual this year, data shows.

One of the most closely watched metrics in New York’s electorate this year is age. Since the city’s mayoral elections are held in years without a presidential election, the electorate tends to be much smaller. And it skews older than in presidential elections, since older voters are often more politically engaged. On top of that, voters who cast their ballots early tend to be older than those who vote on Election Day.

So it’s no surprise that the people who have already voted this year have skewed older. What is surprising is that they aren’t as old as we might expect in a typical mayoral election — and they’re not that far off from a presidential year. Notably, people under 30 make up approximately the same share of early votes so far as they did for the entirety of the early vote period in 2024.

That means the age breakdown could be better news for Zohran Mamdani, the Democrat, than it might seem at first glance. His supporters tend to be younger; many polls have presumed an older electorate.

Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, the independent, has more support among older voters, though it’s also worth noting that both candidates have a significant share of support in older age brackets. In a New York Times/Siena poll in September, Mr. Mamdani led Mr. Cuomo, 73 percent to 10 percent, with likely voters under 30. Among voters 65 and older, they were tied.


https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11/02/nyregion/nyc-mayor-election-news#early-voters-are-younger-than-usual-this-year-data-shows