Live Updates: Polls officially closed in NY as returns start trickling in

Polls have closed across the five boroughs and in the Garden State on Tuesday for the November general election. New Yorkers will decide who will be their next governor, attorney general and state legislators. In both New York and New Jersey, voters will select Congress members — with the national balance of power in play.

Gothamist hit the streets today to hear from voters. Scroll down for live election results and updates from our reporters.

Election Results

12:53 a.m. — Gov. Kathy Hochul won reelection, the Associated Press reported, beating Republican challenger Rep. Lee Zeldin.

The Associated Press called the race for Hochul just before 1 a.m., showing the Democrat had a 53% to 46% lead over Zeldin, according to preliminary results from the state Board of Elections. Zeldin, meantime, has not conceded.

— Phil Corso and David Cruz

12:35 a.m. — While Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared victory in the governor’s race, her Republican opponent Rep. Lee Zeldin has not conceded.

The Associated Press has not yet made a final call on the race.

Zeldin took the stage at his election night party right around midnight and bashed the media for trying to call the race before all the votes had been counted.

“Over the next couple of hours you’re going to see the race continue to get closer and closer and closer,” he said, prompting the crowd to erupt in cheers.

Zeldin is hoping for a big win on his home turf of Long Island, where technological difficulties have delayed the counting of many votes. Newsday reported that Suffolk County experienced a Wi-Fi outage, forcing county officials to drive more than 1,400 memory cards with voting results to election board headquarters in Yaphank. According to the paper, results from Zeldin’s home county aren’t expected until 2:30 a.m.

However, in a text message, Suffolk County Deputy Elections Commissioner Gail Lolis said, "We noticed issues with the uploading in the field. Not a wifi issue. Still assessing the cause. We decided to call everyone back to [the] board for uploading here. Unofficial results are being posted as we speak on nysboe website."

— Samantha Max and Brigid Bergin

12:15 a.m. — As of midnight, the Associated Press still hadn't called New Jersey's closely watched 7th Congressional District race. But as Republican Tom Kean Jr. appeared to pull ahead in votes tallied, with more than 90% of votes in, the candidates finally appeared at their election night gatherings.

Kean stopped just short of declaring victory, telling his supporters to applause: "My solemn pledge to you will always be to serve with dignity, to listen to learn and to earn this responsibility that you've earned me with, to steer this nation to its greater prosperity, greater security and greater affordability."

From incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski: "Here we are still standing. It's too close to call."

He went on to describe a campaign he said supporters and participants should be proud of.

“It’s 11:45 p.m. on election night and we are still standing. And here’s the deal. We're not supposed to standing on election night.” he said.

Malinowski had broadly been considered New Jersey's most vulnerable incumbent, after redistricting shifted another 30,000 Republicans into the 7th District. The last time the same two candidates faced off, in 2020, Malinowski defeated Kean by less than a percentage point.

Malinowski told his supporters that if not for that redistricting, “there’s absolutely no question that we would’ve been winning."

— Louis C. Hochman

11:46 p.m. — Gov. Kathy Hochul just finished speaking at her election night party declaring victory after several news outlets called the race for the Democrat. The Associated Press, which Gothamist monitors for race calls, has still not called a winner in the governor's race. Speaking on stage, Hochul thanked supporters for making their "voices heard loud and clear."

"And you made me the first woman elected governor to the state of New York," later adding, "I’m not here to make history, I’m here to make a difference."

— David Cruz and Elizabeth Kim

11:12 p.m. — Two Democratic incumbents whose districts include portions of Mercer County, where voting machines weren't able to tabulate votes all Election Day, have won re-election, according to the Associated Press.

That's even though Mercer County officials didn't expect Election Day results to be available until late overnight at best, or several days from now, at worst. Democrat Andy Kim has won the 3rd Congressional District over Republican Bob Healey, according to the AP. The Cook Political report recently downgraded Kim's chances from "likely Democrat" to "lean Democrat," drawing more attention to the race.

Bonnie Watson Coleman won re-election to the 12th District over Republican Darius Mayfield.

Meanwhile, Mikie Sherrill has won reelection in the 11th District, where she was challenged by Republican Paul DeGroot, according to the Associated Press. The 11th District had been in Republican hands for more than 30 years, until Sherrill was elected to the seat in 2018.

Redistricting late last year shifted more Democrats into the 11th, helping firm up Sherrill's chances coming into this race.

At an election night party, state Republican Chair Bob Hugin used a profane term to refer to Sherrill when introducing DeGroot, according to several reporters at the event. Hugin later apologized for using profanity, but said he stood by his criticism of Sherill as a Democrat who votes in line with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Joe Biden. The district includes portions of Morris, Essex and Bergen counties.

— Louis C. Hochman

10:54 p.m. — The mood is still festive at Zeldin HQ, where country music is blaring and people are snacking on lamb chops and mini hot dogs. The space is large, and it’s packed shoulder to shoulder. Several conservative celebrities are here to celebrate the Republican nominee, including former candidate Andrew Giuliani and former mayoral hopeful Curtis Sliwa.

Fears about crime have played a central role in Zeldin’s campaign, and several attendees said public safety was the main reason they supported the Republican in the race.

Bill Broderick said he wants to see cashless bail reversed. While he works from home in Bronxville, his wife travels to work on the subway, and Broderick said she’s been uneasy.

“I tell her stories of what it was like in the 1980s, and it’s something that she hadn’t experienced before,” he said.

Akiva Homnick of the Lower East Side is also concerned about an increase in many types of crime, including anti-Semitic acts. (While police say most major crime categories are up compared to this time last year, homicides and shootings are both down).

“We can’t have a state where people don’t want to take the subway, because you know it’s almost a guarantee something’s going to happen,” he said.

Homnick said he used to vote Democrat, but changed parties in 2010. Now, he’s hoping to get a concealed carry permit, so that he can travel through the city with a firearm to protect himself.

Homnick also wants a governor who won’t interfere with the curriculum at yeshivas, an issue he said has turned out the ultraorthodox community in droves. He said many schools opened late today so that people could vote, with some waiting in line for two hours.

“Losing is not an option,” he said.

— Samantha Max

10:12 p.m. — Donald Payne Jr. will once again represent New Jersey's 10th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. He'd been challenged by Republican David Pinckney.  Payne's father had been the state's first Black member of Congress, serving in the seat for two decades, until his death in 2012. Payne Jr. won an election that year to succeed him, and has served the district since. The district includes portions of Essex, Hudson and Union counties.

— Louis C. Hochman

9:38 p.m. — The Associated Press has called the race for Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis over challenger and predecessor Max Rose. Rose sought to reclaim his seat, in which he lost to Malliotakis in 2020. Full story can be found here.

9:38 p.m. — Incumbent Democrat Bill Pascrell has won reelection to U.S. House in New Jersey's 9th Congressional District. He'd been challenged by Republican Billy Prempeh.

The 9th District includes sections of Hudson and Bergen Counties. Pascrell has represented the district since 1997, and has secured his 13th term in Congress. When he first took office, his area was considered the 8th District, but borders have since shifted because of redistricting prompted by updated U.S. Census counts. Pascrell was in the state Assembly from 1988 to 1997. He'd been mayor of Paterson for some of the same period, from 1990 to 1997.

— Louis C. Hochman

9:28 p.m. — Democrat Donald Norcross has won reelection in New Jersey's 1st Congressional District, Republican Christopher Smith won reelection in the 4th District — the first two of New Jersey's 12 congressional races called by the Associated Press on election night.

"Donald has been a champion in Congress for raising wages, expanding job training, and supporting law enforcement," Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted Tuesday evening. "Look forward to continuing to work together for South Jersey."

Norcross faced Republican Claire Gustafson. Smith faced Democrat Matthew Jenkins. Neither of the races were considered highly competitive by election observers.

Meanwhile, Robert Menendez, the son of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, has won election to New Jersey's 8th Congressional District, the state's only Congressional race that didn't include an incumbent, according to the Associated Press.

Rep. Albio Sires., a Democrat, declined to run this year. Robert Menendez faced Republican Marcos Arroyo in the northeastern New Jersey district, which includes some of the state's most urban communities and which is considered a Democratic stronghold.  He is a commissioner at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted congratulations to Menendez even before the Associated Press or most news organizations had called the race, saying "Rob is going to be a strong voice in DC for working families, representing a new generation of leadership."

— Louis C. Hochman

9:10 p.m. — U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer has won a fifth term in a race the Associated Press called soon after polls closed at 9 p.m.

Schumer, who was first elected to the Senate in 1998, faced a challenge from Republican Joe Pinion, a former television host for the conservative network Newsmax.

“Thanks to the voice of the voters, I am the first New Yorker ever to be voted to five terms in the U.S. Senate,” Schumer told the crowd at Gov. Kathy Hochul's election night party Tuesday. “It is deeply humbling.”

The New York senator currently serves as Senate majority leader and will retain the role if his party holds onto the majority in the Senate.

“I promise to make this fifth term every bit as impactful as the four that came before it,” Schumer told the crowd.

Moments before, Tom DiNapoli, the state comptroller – who is also on the ballot tonight – took the stage briefly.

Although he said 2022 “wasn’t the easiest year for our party,” DiNapoli expressed confidence that Democrats would do better than expected.

“It’s going to be a blue night, right?” he said to a smattering of cheers.

DiNapoli has held the position of the state’s chief financial officer since 2007. He is widely expected to win handily, beating out Republican challenger Paul Rodriguez, who spent little money on the race.

Outside, the line to get into the Hochul party is halfway down the block.

— Phil Corso and Elizabeth Kim

9 p.m. — Polls have officially closed across New York state as votes will be officially counted. Early voting and Election Day tallies show nearly 1.5 million voters cast a ballot in New York City, where candidates in the race for governor have aggressively campaigned in the last few days. Across the five boroughs, of the 219,993 absentee ballots distributed, 115,192 have been returned. As of 8 p.m., 84,714 are considered valid, according to data from the city Board of Elections.

— David Cruz

7:49 p.m. — Gov. Kathy Hochul has selected Capitale, the former Bowery Savings Bank-turned-event space in Manhattan’s Chinatown, as her election night headquarters. Last week, she told reporters that she opted for the ornate venue over the “stuffy Sheraton,” where the state Democratic Convention was held earlier this year.

The heavily blue-toned space is equipped with two large screens, presumably to watch the returns, and plenty of room for supporters to gather and cheer, or cry, depending on the outcome. There’s an open bar and food will be served later. A campaign aide told Gothamist he was unsure of the menu offerings, but said Buffalo wings – a nod to Hochul’s roots – were a likely choice.

But the key selling point of Capitale for Hochul may have been the soaring glass ceiling that’s currently cast in blue lights. It’s a nod to the potential history-making nature of her campaign. Should she win, Hochul would become the first woman elected governor of New York. She had a similar architectural feature at her primary headquarters in Tribeca.

So far, the place is buzzing, but mostly with press. Reporters have been corralled into a corner in the back, amid grumblings of too few electrical outlets and a long way to get to a bathroom. Everyone appears to be settling in for a long night.

Around 7:30 p.m., Salvador Luckner was jamming out at the 42nd Street 7 train station in midtown Manhattan, proudly wearing an “I Voted” sticker.The Haiti native, who now lives in Coney Island, said he started voting six years ago, after he became a U.S. citizen.

“You have to vote to make a difference,” he said. Luckner called himself a “Democrat forever” who was primarily concerned about healthcare and the economy in this election. Though he spends many of his days in the subway system — where fears about crime have driven some New Yorkers to vote Republican — Luckner said he doesn’t feel particularly afraid underground. And he said he appreciates that the Democrats have sent more police onto the subway platforms.“I think they do the best that they could do,” he said.

— Elizabeth Kim and Samantha Max

6:43 p.m. — As the sun set on Staten Island, a steady stream of voters trickled out of the William Wilcox School, a poll site on the borough’s northeastern corner. Many praised the efficiency of the polling station, even as some raised wider concerns about the integrity of the election.

“They stole the last election, and if the Democrats lose, they’ll steal it again,” predicted one woman, as her friend offered passersby a fake $100 bill with Donald Trump’s face on it. “You watch: there’s going to be riots.”

The debunked conspiracy theory that Donald Trump won the election figured in the minds of other voters as well. It’s a view endorsed by the borough’s congressperson, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who faces a competitive race against moderate Democrat Max Rose.

Other voiced fears about crime, inflation and the sense that New York City was coming apart at the seams.

“You can’t put gas in your car, you have a problem feeding your family, and you can’t even go on the subway, so what are you gonna do, drive to the city?” said Michael Decan, an elevator repairman and self-described Independent.

“I’m a union man so we voted Democrat in the past,” he added, “but it seems like they’ve lost their way.”

A few minutes later, Carl Dilorenzo, a clinical social worker on Staten Island, ticked off a similar list of concerns: “Crime, safety, homeless, the drug addicts running the streets aimlessly without any form of discipline.”

A longtime Staten Island resident, he said he’d voted for both Mario and Andrew Cuomo, but went with Zeldin this time around.

“I’ve become disenchanted with the Democratic party,” Dilorenzo added. “I didn’t even know who Zeldin was, and I think his stance regarding crime was a big factor for us.”

— Jake Offenhartz

4:45 p.m. — Good news if you’re going to be glued to election results in New York tonight: They should come in more quickly than they ever have before — at least in theory.

For the first time, local elections officials statewide will be able to count absentee ballots before polls close — rather than waiting until after Election Day as had been done in the past, which meant the results weren’t tabulated for several days. That’s thanks to reforms to the counting process that the state Legislature approved in Albany last year, which took effect for this year’s elections and survived (at least for now) a recent Republican legal challenge.

The new system works like this: local election boards inspect the absentee ballot envelopes as they’re received. If there aren’t any problems, they remove the ballots from the envelope and set them aside for counting. From there, there are three separate days where they’re fed into the vote-counting machines: The first was Oct. 28, the second is today, and the third — which will account for late-arriving ballots postmarked by Election Day — will be Nov. 16.

At 8 p.m. today — an hour before polls close in the state — local officials will be able to complete the process on the vote-counting machines, which will reveal the early- and absentee-voting results for the first time. New York City and counties across the state will then be able to report those results as soon as 9 p.m.

Keep this in mind: Democrats have traditionally voted in stronger numbers for early and absentee voting, so the early results could favor them. Republicans tend to vote on Election Day itself, meaning they could see their candidates close the gap later in the night as the in-person vote is tabulated.

That could be particularly true in the governor’s race, where Republican Lee Zeldin is relying on his voters showing up to the polls in person — particularly in suburban counties like Nassau, which has traditionally been slow to report day-of election results.

Please note: If you're in line to vote at 9 p.m., stay in line! They have to let you vote even if it's after 9 p.m.

— Jon Campbell

3:20 p.m. — Over 1.1. million voters have checked in at polling sites across the five boroughs, according to the Board of Elections.

The count as of 3 p.m. Tuesday includes early voting totals. That means more than 200,000 people citywide have hit the polls since noon.

Brooklyn continues to take the lead on polling site turnout, with more than 360,000 check-ins as of the latest update from the BOE. In the three hours since noon, Queens has received more than 62,000 additional check-ins and Manhattan had 53,000 more check-ins; while more than 30,000 additional people added to the count in the Bronx.

Staten Island has seen almost 19,000 additional check-ins since noon, bringing its total so far to more than 68,000 check-ins.

The check-in totals so far do not include absentee ballots.

— Michelle Bocanegra

2:30 p.m. — New Jersey's state Republican and Democratic parties are both assuring voters in Mercer County that their votes will be counted — even though voting machines are down countywide.

Voters are being asked to drop their ballots in an emergency slot in voting machines. While some municipal clerks initially said those would be hand-tabulated, County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello clarified to Gothamist those would be processed by the county with high-volume optical scanners once polls close.

She said tabulating Election Day votes would take longer than normal — possibly finishing late overnight, but more likely stretching into days.

The county wouldn't need a court order to get access to the ballots, she said.

The county's Board of Elections had decided not to try and get the machines repaired before polls close, to avoid having voters with two different experiences — some using the emergency slots, and some not.

The state Republican committee says the ballots remain in the proper chain of custody. And the Democratic committee assured voters their voices would be heard.

— Louis Hochman

12:45 p.m. — More than 880,000 people had checked in at polling sites across the city by noon on Tuesday, according to the city Board of Elections.

That’s including more than 432,000 voters who cast their ballots early, ahead of Nov. 8.

Voters in Brooklyn turned out in the largest numbers: more than 280,000 borough residents had voted by noon on Tuesday. Voters in Staten Island, which has a population that is roughly a fifth of Brooklyn’s size, comprised the smallest share of voters by noon, with just shy of 69,000 people.

It’s difficult to draw comparisons to how the count fares with previous elections, given a variety of factors, including the recent institution of early voting in 2019 and the fact that many absentee ballots have not been counted.

But more than 18 percent of registered voters in New York City have cast their ballot in this year’s general election.

In the 2018 midterm election, more than 2.1 million people voted in New York City.

11:30 a.m. — Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Lee Zeldin made their final campaign stops across New York on Election Day, each making a last-minute case to voters in what may be one of the closest races for governor in a decade.

Hochul made her first stop at the 86th Street subway station on Second Avenue, a stone’s throw from Gracie Mansion.

Mayor Eric Adams was not among the elected officials present at the morning event but he has loomed over the race.

Zeldin has sought to portray himself and the Democratic mayor as aligned on issues around crime. Both have pushed for tighter restrictions around bail laws. On Tuesday, the New York Post reported that a political action committee closely associated with Adams donated $10,000 to Zeldin’s campaign.

When asked if crime had become a wedge between herself and the mayor, Hochul defended their relationship.

“We're partners in fighting crime and this is not an election issue for me,” she said.

Hochul referenced Adams’ appearance at a Saturday rally as well as their joint efforts on tackling subway crime, which began one week into Adam’s mayoralty.

“Literally the mayor had been on the job one week, we said we're gonna partner together,” she said. “That relationship has only grown stronger. You can ask Mayor Adams himself.”

Evan Thies, a political advisor to Adams, issued a statement Tuesday pointing out that the mayor and governor had collaborated on various policy issues, including crime.

“The mayor strongly supports Governor Hochul for election so that they can continue to deliver real results for the people of our state through their historically productive partnership,” he said. At the rally on Saturday, Adams called the governor “authentic” and “one of us.”

Zeldin spent much of his morning at his home base on Long Island, casting his vote at a firehouse in Mastic Beach before heading to Suffolk County Republican Headquarters to thank volunteers, according to his schedule on Tuesday.

On the Upper East Side, the governor made several stops to talk to and take photos with supporters. During a visit to the Mansion, a diner on East 86th Street and York Avenue, Hochul huddled with elected officials at a booth. The governor’s appearance and flock of camera crews came much to the surprise of the couple having breakfast at the table next to her.

“We're actually just here visiting from the U.K., so we were really surprised when all the news reporters came in,” said Caroline Folley.

However, the 42-year-old said she knew that it was Election Day in the U.S.

“Yes, we've been watching,” she said. “And it's very important to register to vote.”

Hochul, a moderate Democrat, traveled to Woodside Station in Queens, where she shook hands and posed for selfies with supporters. She also joined a hero of the progressive left: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The pair slowly made their way up Roosevelt Ave. alongside a handful of Queens-based officials, including Borough President Donovan Richards, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, and state Sen. Michael Gianaris. Ocasio-Cortez and Hochul haven’t been known as close allies. But Ocasio-Cortez said Hochul acted quickly to secure federal aid following Hurricane Ida.

The congresswoman also highlighted Zeldin’s anti-abortion record — “I think folks are actually very scared,” she said — and his votes against certifying the results of the 2020 election.

“I’m feeling very alarmed that there is any prospect of him becoming governor, and I think that is a very motivating factor for people,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

At one point, a voter spoke to Hochul and Ocasio-Cortez about Zeldin’s position on abortion. “He’s against all the women in this state,” Hochul said.

Ocasio-Cortez chimed in: “And now he’s trying to waffle on it.”

“Are you surprised?” Hochul asked. “‘Oh, no, no, I’ve changed.’ Give me a break.”

— Elizabeth Kim and Jon Campbell

An earlier version of this blog post misquoted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

11 a.m. - Voters called into "The Brian Lehrer Show " on WNYC this this morning to share who they voted for and what issues mattered most to them.

Danny, a caller who lives in Manhattan's Murray Hill, said he cast his ballot for Zeldin as a “protest vote” over how Democratic leadership has responded to an uptick in anti-asian violence.

“As an Asian American, I feel the Democratic Party has done a really poor job – including Gov. Hochul – in combating anti-Asian hate crimes this year,” he said. Though he is critical of Zeldin’s decision to vote against certifying the 2020 election results and disagrees with national GOP politics, he said he hopes Zeldin will do more to curb attacks against Asian people in New York City.

Another caller, Nikki, cast her vote in Valley Stream in Nassau County for Democrats down the ballot. In a county where Republicans are vying to pick up congressional seats, she said she’s been disappointed by the Democrats’ efforts to drum up support ahead of the election.

“I knew all the Republican names on the ballot because their PR has been excellent,” she said.
“I knew almost none of the names of the Democrats, except for Kathy Hochul.”

Jay, a caller who lives in Woodhaven, Queens, said he also voted Democrat. He said he was voting to protect abortion rights and reject anti-immigration policies.

“I’m a Hispanic, been here in the states for over 40 years, and I just cannot fathom why any Hispanic or Latino would vote Republican,” he said, adding that he only hears anti-immigrant rhetoric from Republican politicians.

10:45 a.m. — Nearly 744,000 New Jersey voters cast their ballots ahead of Election Day.

The latest figures compiled by Associated Press election researcher Ryan Dubicki show more than 530,000 absentee or mail-in votes have been returned, and another 214,000 people showed up in person for New Jersey's second-ever early voting period.

The majority of those advance votes are from Democrats — even in congressional districts that tend to lean Republican. Statewide, Democrats account for about 59% of the advance vote, Republicans account for about 23% and independents or people registered with third parties account for about 18%

Dubicki emphasized that those early stats aren't enough to predict elections. Most people vote in person, on Election Day.

— Louis Hochman

10: 15 a.m. — Multiple polling sites opened late on Tuesday morning, and a few sites saw technical issues that prompted some would-be voters to leave before casting their ballots, according to people sharing their accounts on social media.

Voters in Brooklyn and Queens were among those to voice their frustration on Twitter. Queens is among more than 60 jurisdictions where the Department of Justice will have staffers on the ground to monitor for compliance with federal voting laws. DOJ officials said the uniquely diverse county, popularly known as "the world's borough," was being monitored largely for language accessibility. Multiple city agencies including the BOE have polling site interpreters on the ground, with the widest variety of language assistance offered in Queens, though it has historically seen issues with language access.

The New York City Board of Elections did not immediately respond to a request for comment on certain issues that surfaced on social media in the first few hours of Election Day. It has responded to several posts complaining of late polling site openings.

Technical issues reported by voters appeared to discourage some from casting their ballot, instead opting to leave the polling site, according to accounts shared on social media.

“We are experiencing an issue with the generator and have technical teams on the ground to address it,” said the BOE to one voter reporting that a polling site generator was down in Carroll Gardens. “Voting is taking place using established emergency procedures.”

Another reported that voting machines were down at a site in Brighton Beach. The BOE did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the issue had been resolved.

— Michelle Bocanegra

10 a.m. Nearly 200,000 New York City voters cast ballots by 9 a.m., according to the city Board of Elections. At the end of early voting ahead of Election Day nearly a half a million New York City voters had already cast ballots. By the end of the first three hours of voting today it was up to 625,420. As of the most recent tallies available, there were 4.9 million active voters across the five boroughs. Twelve percent of them had voted by early Tuesday morning.

— Gwynne Hogan

9:00 a.m. — Turnout in the Democratic stronghold of Rahway, New Jersey could be key if 7th Congressional District incumbent Tom Malinowski hopes to stay in office. He's facing a challenge from Republican Tom Kean Jr. a former state senator.

Last time they faced off, in 2020, Malinowski eked out a win by less than a percentage point. Rahway shifted from the 10th District to the 7th when lines were redrawn last year – though other changes meant moving about 30,000 more Republicans into the district than during the last congressional race.

At the Rahway Recreational Center early Tuesday morning, 57-year-old Yvonne Harper came to vote with her mom, Celestia Conway. Protecting women’s reproductive rights was top of mind for her.

“Our rights are being stripped, so we’d better stand up – [my mother] taught me that. She did,” Conway said. “We’re all supposedly equal, but we still have a paternal order of things, which is ridiculous.”

Michael Morris, 65, said he’d seen more mailings, texts and other campaign material than usual. And public safety was the main thing on his mind, he said, “because I have grandkids and they’re around a lot. And basically the safety of the entire neighborhood.”

Carlos Pinho, an IT worker, wasn’t very enthusiastic about either candidate. He wants more checks and balances in Congress.

“So now you’re picking the lesser of two evils,” he said. “And we have to stop that. ‘I hate that guy, and that’s why I’m voting for this guy,’ … We have to stop that. That’s not going to go anywhere.”

In the first hours of voting, the recreation center saw a steady stream of voters, but no lines backing up.

— Karen Yi

8:00 a.m. — Watchdog and voting rights advocacy group Election Protection says it has received reports from New Jersey residents who applied for, but didn’t receive mail-in ballots. It’s encouraging them to show up at the polls and fill out provisional, paper ballots. The provisional ballots will be counted once election officials confirm the same individuals didn’t already vote by mail.

Election Protection is running voter hotlines — 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) for English only, 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) for Spanish and English,  888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) for Asian languages and English, and 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287) for Arabic and English.

— Louis Hochman

8:15 a.m. — At P.S. 52 John C Thompson School in the Dongan Hills section of Staten Island near Midland Beach there was a steady stream of voters all morning.

One man jumped out of his car and shouted “Where’s the red wave?”

But dozens of interviews with voters revealed a mix of Democrat and Republican voters at this polling site.

When it comes to the issues, though, voters from both parties said crime, abortion and the economy were top of mind.

“I’m sick of the crime, I was mugged recently ,” said Liz McGinn, 53, who lives in Bay Terrace. She clarified she was the victim of an attempted mugging, and said she’s afraid for her family, which is why she’s voting for Republicans in this district. “The hate in this world has to stop, what about your fellow human being?”

Joseph Dimitrov, 32, is a lawyer, and called this election “a battleground fiercer than we’ve had in our entire lives.” He’s voting for Democrats down the ballot, although he isn’t enthusiastic about congressional candidate Max Rose.

“Every issue is the issue to fight for, there isn’t a singular issue,” Dimitrov said. “If we sit idly by today, if we sit idly by two years from now, we can all kiss our butts goodbye.”

— Stephen Nessen

7:45 a.m. — Mercer County officials reported issues with voting machines early Tuesday morning. Trenton city officials said the issue involved ballot scanners, and was countywide. An announcement from the county said poll workers would be on hand to walk voters through the process, and that the county's board of elections was working with voting machine vendor Dominion to resolve the issue.

Voters were not being turned away from the polls, but can fill out ballots by hand and insert them into emergency slots in the machines, according to a separate announcement from West Windsor officials.

Mercer is split between the 12th Congressional District, where incumbent Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman faces Republican Darius Mayfield, and the 3rd District, where incumbent Democrat Andy Kim faces Republican Bob Healey. The 3rd District race is being closely watched after the Cook Political report shifted its rating for the race from "likely Democrat" to "leans Democrat" last week.

— Louis Hochman

7:30 a.m. — At a polling site on Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem, Megan Carroll said the election is “the most important election of my lifetime. Of our lifetime.”

“There’s so much at risk and there’s so much we can win back,” she continued. “I’m hoping to see a straight Democratic win across the entire country. Women have rights. LGBTQ have rights. Everyone who is disenfranchised, marginalized and forgotten about needs to have their voices heard.”

Carroll decried the divisiveness in modern politics.

“I’m very afraid. This country has gotten so divisive, so ugly, so full of hate,” she said. “And we have no time or energy for that. We have to be here together as one.”

Tony MacIntosh likewise said he was voting Democratic.

“We still need our healthcare, we still need our pension, but we need to get these guns off the street,” he said. “And I feel like Ms. Hochul is the best one to serve us for the next four years.”

— Rebecca Redelmeier

6:45 a.m. — A steady stream of voters arrived at the Robert F. Wagner Middle School on the Upper East Side in the first hour polls opened this Election Day.

"You can't really be a part of the discourse unless you're actually doing something about it," said Adam Paz, 34, who cast his ballot at the school. Paz, 34, declined to say who he voted for in the race for governor.

Mike O'Neil, 35, said he voted Democrat down the ballot. He said with polls tightening in the race for governor, he felt anxious to vote.

"Probably makes me a little bit more vocal on getting my friends to vote," O'Neil said.

Nehama Pielet, a retiree, voted for members on the other side of the aisle.

"New York's very Democratic, but so what?" Pielet said. She said public safety has been on her mind.

"I just feel a bit unsafe. It's a terrible way to feel and I'm on my own," Pielet said. "The way things are going I think we need to do things a little differently."

Fred Umane, the Manhattan Republican Commissioner at the city Board of Elections, also voted at the school, calling turnout overall turnout “heavy” for the morning.

“Things seem pretty organized at this polling place. And everything’s working and that’s a good thing,” Umane said, urging voters to bring their voter identification card — which shows where voters are supposed to cast a ballot — to ensure a fast process. (Voter ID cards are not required to cast a ballot and no one should be asking for an ID at your poll site.)

— Gwynne Hogan

This is a live blog and will be updated throughout the day.