Low early voting turnout in New York City

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Fewer than 2% of New York City’s 4.6 million active voters turned out for early voting, according to Board of Elections data. Early voting closed Sunday evening ahead of Tuesday’s General Election.

According to the Board of Elections, the unofficial early voting check-ins totaled 85,957. Manhattan made up the largest portion of those votes, with 25,540.

Grace Kendall was among the few New Yorkers who voted early.

“Generally, I like to vote early, so I don’t forget, and I don’t run out of time,” said Kendall. “I think it’s amazing that we have an early voting process in New York, and I want to take advantage and use it so we don’t lose it.”

All 51 seats on the city council are up for a vote on Tuesday, thanks to redistricting after the 2020 Census. Many will be easy wins for Democratic candidates who secured their June primaries, but a handful of races in swing districts may be tight.

One of the races to watch is in South Brooklyn between current councilmembers Justin Brennan and Ari Kagan, who recently switched to the Republican Party.

“Many don’t even know there is a general election for City Council. If Dems don’t start showing up, we will lose seats,” Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine even wrote on X, formally Twitter, on Saturday.

On Sunday’s ‘PIX on Politics,’ reporters Katie Honan and Gwynn Hogan from ‘The City’ both acknowledged voter turnout.

“Turnout will unfortunately be very, very low,” said Honan. “It’s been pretty slow, voters trickling in,” said Hogan.