No one cares: Abysmal early voting turnout of 2% for NYC general election this year

[brooklynite]

AM New York

Just 86,000 New Yorkers took advantage of early voting for the Nov. 7 general election, according to city Board of Elections (BOE) data — accounting for an anemic 1.9% of the Big Apple’s over 4.6 million active registered voters.

The paltry number of general election early voting check-ins nonetheless represents roughly double those who voted early in the June primary, although that figure only included party-registered voters, as New York has a closed-primary system.

Moreover, the general election early turnout was just 20% of the over 430,000 voters who cast their ballots ahead of last year’s midterm elections, where marquee races for governor, state attorney general and the U.S. House topped the ballot.

The most comparable recent election was in 2019, the first year early voting was employed in New York City. That year, just 1.14% of both active and inactive city registered voters participated in early voting, when the only major ballot items were for races for public advocate and Queens district attorney as well as five citywide ballot proposals.

If you want people to vote you have to give them something to vote for.

[Prairie Gates]

1. District 19 is going to be an unexpected blowout for Paladino

NY Times featured this race as a close contest between GOPer/Trumpie Paladino and Democrat Tony Avella. I'm going to predict a surprise walk for Paladino. Trumpies in the district (probably one of the most Trumpy districts in NYC) are energized.

[brooklynite]

2. If that's the case, it doesn't bode well for NY-4 next year.

[edhopper]

4. To be clear

Paladino is the current Council person. They usually win.
So no change to NY and no boding needed.
Our incompetent, possibly corrupt Mayor is a bigger problem for Dems.

[Prairie Gates]

12. NY-4 is going to be a tough row to hoe for Democrats going forward

Even with Santos and all his nonsense. The Queens parts of NY-4 are pretty red. It's actually the Nassau bits that might save the day. This district looks like it was designed for a GOP candidate to the block level (like, literally, where the line is drawn between Whitestone and Flushing is comical).

[edhopper]

3. This was an election for City officials

My ballot was for Queens County DA, City Council and come Judges. No citywide or Statewide offices.
These are historically low turn out.

[brooklynite]

5. Nobody cares about Judges, and only 2-3 of the Council races are remotely competitive.

When my wife went on Sunday, the total early votes at her center had been 600 for the week.

[edhopper]

6. exactly

so the low early voting isn't a surprise or a portent for doom.

Next year NY will vote in the numbers they always have.

In 2020 it was 65%, around the national average.

[brooklynite]

7. The "portent of doom" is the skew of Trump voters in NE Queens

NY-4 is northeast Queens and northwest Nassau.

[edhopper]

10. Who elected Paladino already

and George Santos. It has been Red for some time, especially since it's become more ethnically Russian. So there is no change here from 2020.
NY has Trump areas, like Staten Island, as does Nassau. You know this.

Avella was my Senator, until he got re-districted out. But NE Queens is not his home base.

There is no uptick of Trump voters here. This area went for Trump by and average of 25% in 2020.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/upshot/2020-election-map.html

[Prairie Gates]

11. Agreed - the area has been red for a good while

Paladino's district is especially notable; several of these neighborhoods are (hanging on as) white ethnic enclaves with strong nativist tendencies as they see themselves being overwhelmed by Asian immigrants and families from Flushing proper. They are traditionally religious and mostly conservative. Of interest will be the splits in Bay Terrace and Douglaston/Little Neck, as they may give you a sense of the response to the Israel/Hamas War (same for some of the Coop building complexes in North Flushing).

On edit: I guess my point is that I am seeing waaaaay more energy and pressure for Paladino than I have ever seen from conservative friends about anything.

[leftstreet]

13. We don't vote for doctors, so why for judges?

Judges should be hired based on their education, skill and experience - just like the rest of us

No one likes voting for judges

[Raftergirl]

8. In my district in Cap. District of NY there are 16 races (town supervisor, board members,

judges, highway superintendent, county legislator, town clerk, receiver of taxes,) Only 4 contests are contested by a Republican, Our town supervisor and our county legislator are both running unopposed and the R’s only put up one candidate for two open spots on our town board.

When we moved here 32 years ago my town was solid red. Then about 8 years later it became solid blue. The R’s haven’t been a presence at all since then. But I don’t ever recall them not fielding a candidate for Town Supervisor or County legislator before.

Albany County Executive (D) is also running unopposed.

My H and I voted early last week.

He is working the polls today.

[spinbaby]

9. My polling place was very busy this morning

My Western Pennsylvania purple precinct where there is rarely a wait, had a wait this morning. The election workers were surprised by the turnout. Hard to tell if red or blue.

[bigtree]

14. myriad reasons for low turnout

...main reason is these are strictly local races with no federal or state major offices on the ballot.

Why exaggerate this with such a hyperbolic thread title? These are traditionally low turnout races.

There are three real contested county legislature seats but Democrats are expected to hold.

[edhopper]

15. I will add

that AOC won the primary by getting a few thousand people to get out and vote for her, while Crowley did no work. These are always low turnout. There are half a million people in that district and 26,000 voted.

[Polybius]

16. I still haven't voted yet

I'll go around 7:30, when I pick up takeout. After that, I will go home and watch states with important races, such as Kentucky, Mississippi, and Virginia.

[redqueen]

17. I didn't vote early this year though I usually do

Hopefully a lot of people will be voting today