It’s Primary Day in NYC: What you need to know about the mayor’s race and others

Grab a Gatorade and get ready to cast your ballot.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday for New York City’s primary election. The forecast heading into Election Day called for a high of 102 degrees.

Registered Democrats in the five boroughs will be voting to nominate their candidates for mayor, city comptroller, public advocate, borough president and, depending on where they live, City Council. The only citywide Republican primary contest is for city comptroller.

So far, early voting turnout has more than roughly doubled the 2021 mayoral primary. If that pace continues, you can expect lines at poll sites, especially during the morning and evening rush hours. The city is advising people to stay hydrated and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.

On Saturday, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill repealing a section of election law that made it illegal for people to hand out water or refreshments to people waiting in line to vote. (Yes, like the Georgia law that was at the center of the last season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”) Hochul’s signature on the legislation comes after the Brooklyn chapter of the NAACP successfully sued the state, arguing the ban was an unconstitutional limit on their efforts to get out the vote.

Before you head to the polls

You can get a snapshot of the city’s leading Democratic mayoral candidates and where they stand on the issues in our voter guide.

The primary contests will be determined by ranked-choice voting. Voters can select up to five candidates in order of preference on their ballot. For more information about how ranked-choice voting works, check out this explainer.

If you are not sure where your poll site is located, you can enter your address and find it here at findmypollsite.nyc.gov.

If you are still in line at 9 p.m., do not leave. You have a right to vote as long as you were in line before the polls close.

Voters can also drop mail ballots off at any Primary Day poll site or at your local Board of Elections office.

When to expect results

The New York City Board of Elections will begin reporting unofficial election night returns on Tuesday night. Those results will only include voters’ first-choice selections. If a candidate receives more than 50% support of first-choice ballots, there won’t be a need for a ranked tally.

However, if the polls are accurate, it is likely that a ranked tabulation will be required to determine the primary winners. That first ranked tabulation is scheduled for the following Tuesday, July 1.

The Board of Elections set that schedule to allow time for mail ballots, which must be counted as long as they are postmarked by Primary Day.