When is the New York City Mayoral election

Executive summary

The New York City mayoral election was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, with early voting from October 25 through November 2 and Election Day polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; as of November 5 the race was still being reported as active and results were being tallied or updated ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Major reported contenders were Democrat Zohran Mamdani, independent Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, with pre-election and exit polling showing Mamdani leading but the outcome not finalized in the provided updates ^{[4] [5]}.

1. A date confirmed and turnout headlines that matter

Multiple contemporaneous accounts confirm Election Day fell on November 4, 2025, with early voting running October 25–November 2 and polls scheduled to close at 9pm local time; these procedural details are repeated across the briefings and voter guides in the dataset ^{[1] [2] [5]}. Reporting also highlighted record-breaking participation: several updates describe turnout as the highest in decades, with estimates ranging from roughly 1.4 million to 1.7 million voters, and early-vote check-ins alone surpassing 735,000 in some accounts. The scale of participation is a critical context for interpreting both exit polling and the speed of official counts; high turnout can complicate projections and extend counting timelines, a fact underscored by live updates noting results would follow after polls close ^{[3] [6]}.

2. Who the voters were asked to choose — beyond the mayor

Coverage emphasized that the November 4 ballot included not only the mayoralty but also public advocate, city comptroller, borough presidents, City Council members, and six ballot proposals, framing the day as a broad municipal general election rather than a single-race contest ^[1]. That context matters because the co-occurrence of multiple contests and proposals can drive turnout and affect voting patterns down-ballot; news updates tied voter priorities—particularly affordability and crime—to how New Yorkers approached choices across offices. These broader ballot elements also shape media attention and campaign strategies, with candidates and parties often aligning messaging to mobilize constituencies that affect several races simultaneously ^[5].

3. The leading candidates and what the polls showed before and on election day

Pre-election and same-day polling consistently placed Zohran Mamdani ahead, with one published poll showing him near 44% versus Andrew Cuomo at about 33% and Curtis Sliwa around 16–18%, leaving a small but potentially decisive undecided share in play ^[4]. Live reporting repeated those margins while noting momentum shifts and the possibility of narrowing gaps as Election Day neared. Polls and exit analyses also identified housing affordability as the top voter concern, followed by crime, which helps explain why third-party dynamics and late shifts in undecided voters were treated as consequential. The polling portrait is consistent across sources, but all outlets warned that leads were not guarantees and that final results could change during counting ^{[4] [5]}.

4. Why results were still fluid in immediate post-election updates

Multiple live-update pieces from November 4–5 emphasize that while polls closed and counting began, the final outcome remained unsettled in the immediate aftermath; reporters stressed ongoing tallies, late-arriving absentee and early ballots, and the logistical realities of high turnout as reasons for delayed certification ^{[6] [3]}. These updates underscore that initial media “results” may shift as tabulation proceeds, and outlets explicitly warned readers about the provisional nature of early returns. The sources thus balance reporting of leads with caution about declaring winners prematurely, reflecting typical post-election practices in large jurisdictions where certification can take days to weeks depending on margin and provisional ballots ^{[6] [3]}.

5. Competing narratives, potential biases, and what to watch next

Coverage contained implicit editorial choices and focal points: some outlets foregrounded record turnout and process details, others emphasized polling margins and voter issues, and a few noted campaign controversies such as targeted attacks or endorsements affecting dynamics. Those emphases signal different reader takeaways—process confidence, policy salience, or political drama—so consumers should consult multiple updates. Given the dataset’s dates around November 4–5, the immediate next steps to watch are official board counts, canvass and certification updates, and any legal challenges or recounts if margins are narrow; these will determine the definitive winner beyond the provisional leads reported ^{[3] [6]}.