Long Island Votes 2026: New York governor's race, control of Congress up for grabs today for Election Day

Hochul, Velázquez talk affordability, childcare with Queens constituents

Gov. Kathy Hochul spent the final morning of her re-election bid barnstorming across Queens with politicians from the north, central and west parts of the borough, hugging children, petting dogs, posing for selfies and shaking the hand of a man who was begging.

In Forest Hills, at Hochul's first stop, Congresswoman Grace Meng and City Councilwoman Lynn Schulman praised Hochul as the best candidate to help lower household costs for working families. Hochul's foe Bruce Blakeman, Meng said, "is pretending to care about our communities and our families in the weeks before the election."

Then, in Flushing, State Senator John Liu walked with Hochul and Councilwoman Sandra Ung and Mandarin to would-be voters exercising in a school park. Hochul, both said, have done a lot for Queens and she deserves reelection.

Capping off the morning Hochul went to Sunnyside, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez said that her constituents care about affordability, childcare, and costs to start a family, and no other candidate can deliver on those issues, she said.

Why not Blakeman, Newsday asked Velázquez.

"Oh, please," she said.

"You can say it," Hochul said. "Tell him what you really think."

Velázquez said that "in New York, we understand that immigrants make America America," and "he has a lack of understanding of that important issue."

More than 92,000 cast votes in Nassau so far

As of roughly 11 a.m., over 92,393 voters had cast ballots at polling stations in Nassau County on Election Day, according to Jim Scheuerman, the Democratic commissioner of the county's board of elections.

In the first five hours of Election Day, roughly equal numbers of registered Democrats (33,945) and registered Republicans (33,347) cast ballots across Nassau, he said. Another 23,458 people with no registered party affiliation voted.

That's a contrast with the nine days of early voting, when registered Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans casting ballots in Nassau, as Newsday's The Point has written. In Nassau, registered Democrats cast 81,129 early ballots compared to 68,226 by registered Republicans. Another 42,438 early voting ballots were cast by voters without a registered party. Of course, party registration does not necessarily indicate which candidates a person actually voted for.

Overall across Long Island, early voting turnout on Long Island was 67% higher than in the last midterms in 2022, according to The Point.

Voting to stop the 'surge of the progressive left'

Michael Ashner, 77, of Cove Neck, said he's voted in every election since he was legally able to do so.

“Once I turned 18, I started voting and drinking,” he said. “I haven't missed an election since.”

Ashner, who said he is a registered Independent, voted for Blakeman because of his concern about the “surge of the progressive left.”

“I’m disturbed by that,” he said after voting in Syosset. “I believe in equal opportunity. I’m an incrementalist.”

Ashner said he voted for DiNapoli, a Democrat, for comptroller, but otherwise supported Republican candidates.

Ballot issues reported in Westchester County; LI officials say no problems so far

Some voters in Westchester County were having trouble casting their ballots this morning, officials said, due to problems with the scanning machines used to process paper ballots.

"The Westchester Board of Elections wants to reassure every voter that your vote matters, your ballot will be secure and your vote will be counted," the agency said in a statement. "We strongly encourage all voters to remain in line, exercise patience and, most importantly, cast their ballots."

Election officials on Long Island said no problems had been reported so far at the polls.

"Things are going smoothly at all of our sites," James Scheuerman, Democratic Commissioner at the Nassau County Board of Elections, told Newsday in a text message. "People are voting."

Suffolk County election officials said in an email that "aside from the usual early morning delays in setting up the equipment, all went well."

The new touch-screen voting machines are "very user friendly," they said.

Westchester is the site of one of the most hotly contested congressional races, between Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley.

The Westchester Board of Elections said paper ballots that cannot be scanned will be placed in designated orange emergency ballot bags that "will remain secure and monitored."

"These ballots will subsequently be counted in accordance with applicable election procedures," they said.

And the agency made a plea to frustrated voters: "Every eligible vote will be counted. No voter should be discouraged from participating in this election because of this issue. Your voice matters. Your vote matters. Please stay in line and vote."

Gov. Kathy Hochul, speaking at an event Tuesday morning, sought to reassure voters as well.

"The backup plan is in place, and so voters in Westchester should feel very confident that they should show up, they should continue to vote, if they’re in line, stay in line, and there is a backup plan," she said. "We plan for all the contingencies. The State Board of Elections and the county board of elections are working in coordination to make sure we get through this.”

LIRR riders divided on governor pick

Dierdre Ainbinder said she voted in Baldwin Harbor on Tuesday morning before heading in to work on the Long Island Rail Road.

Speaking at Penn Station, Ainbinder said the polls were particularly busy this morning. She said she voted for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is running for governor on the Republican ticket.

She said she hopes he is up for the job. Her preference was for former U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, who briefly was a Republican candidate for governor.

If Gov. Kathy Hochul is re-elected, Ainbinder said she would like to see the governor address sanctuary city policies and property taxes.

A rider heading to Huntington, who would only give her first name, Diane, said she voted for all Democrats, as she typically does. She said she found, based primarily on television ads, that Blakeman was too cozy with President Trump.

Some other commuters, even those proudly displaying "I voted" stickers, were squeamish about talking politics, even anonymously, Tuesday morning.

'You can't live on Social Security anymore'

Olga Belleau, of Setauket, said she came out to vote, in part, because of affordability issues.

"The economy — that’s one of the main issues," she said outside Arrowhead Elementary School on Tuesday. "You can’t live on Social Security anymore. And the money you have saved is dwindling like never before."

Belleau was also motivated by what she described as an air of prejudice against Latinos during Trump’s time in office.

The 85-year-old voter said she immigrated to the United States from Nicaragua when she was 20, and then spent decades working in the banking industry.

"I came here in 1961. This country was beautiful, very welcoming," she said. "I was never mistreated then like I have been since Trump became president the first time."

Belleau said she voted for Democrats up and down her ballot.

When asked if there was a race that was a primary focus for her, she told Newsday, "Everything. I feel this is important, you know?"

DOJ deploys election monitors as Trump warns of voter fraud

The federal Department of Justice has deployed election monitors to all 50 states, but voters on Long Island are not likely to see any locally.

To begin with, the number of federal election monitors is relatively small in the scheme of things — about 1,000 spread out nationwide. And in New York, the DOJ has said its monitors will be in the following counties: New York (Manhattan), Kings (Brooklyn), Westchester, Erie and Albany.

President Trump has ramped up warnings about voter fraud, and has said he’ll only accept the election results "if it’s an honest election." Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, said in a statement Tuesday that the agency is "pursuing transparency for elections in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner."

While Long Island voters are unlikely to see federal monitors at their polling places, the polls are being monitored by local members of both parties as well as civil society organizations like the NAACP, Common Cause New York and others. You can read more about the groups monitoring the election on the Island here.

Election Day closures on Long Island

Students may be rejoicing today, while parents, not so much.

Most public schools on Long Island are closed for Election Day, which is a state holiday in New York. New York City public school students and teachers, meanwhile, have a remote learning day.

See more on what's open and closed today here.

'The taxes are ridiculous'

Mike Lennon, 65, of Port Jefferson, said he voted for Republican candidates up and down the ballot.

Speaking outside the Port Jefferson Free Library, Lennon said illegal immigration and government overspending were among the reasons he backed Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman for governor.

"The spending and everything that’s going on is terrible," he said. "The taxes are ridiculous. Everything is crazy."

Lennon also expressed concern about safety in New York City, where he said his youngest daughter lives.

"It’s really dangerous," he said.

While he disagreed with Gov. Kathy Hochul's immigration policies, Lennon said his vote on Tuesday was driven more by support for Blakeman than opposition to the current governor.

Blakeman "is good for business, good for Long Island, good for Suffolk County — a reasonable guy," Lennon said.

Voters cite immigration, 'open borders' concerns

Ron and Evelyn Cook, of Atlantic Beach, walked out of the Village Office polling center arm in arm minutes after Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman departed. 

Ron Cook, 77, said he was concerned about the country going back to the "Biden years" if Democrats did well Tuesday, with "open borders."

"My aunts and uncles and grandparents worked in factories when they came" to the United States, Evelyn Cook, 74, said. "I don’t mind immigration as long as they apply like our parents and grandparents did. And then you wait your turn."

Hochul greets voters in Queens

Gov. Kathy Hochul began her Election Day in Forest Hills, Queens, greeting would-be voters — some who said they voted for her already — outside a subway station, a Digestive Disease Care doctors’ office and the T-Bone diner.

Hochul asked voter Ives Silver, a 42-year-old architect from Forest Hills: “Did you get a chance to vote yet?”

He said he'd be voting later today.

For Hochul?

“Yeah, definitely,” he told Newsday. “So far I like what she's been pushing. I just like her energy.”

Hochul was joined by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng. She was expected to make additional stops elsewhere in Queens later.

Hochul, Blakeman make their final pitches to voters

In the days and hours before Election Day, emails and texts urging voters to get out and vote for gubernatorial candidates Kathy Hochul or Bruce Blakeman have flooded into New Yorkers’ inboxes.

"As you head to the polls today, remember this: a vote for Team Hochul-Adams is a vote to lower costs, keep New Yorkers safe, and stand up against Trump," an email from Hochul’s team said, mentioning her running mate, Adrienne Adams.

A text for Blakeman invoked the specter of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Hochul endorser, even before invoking the governor herself.

"Vote for Republican Bruce Blakeman for Governor," one text said. "Bruce will cut your taxes and stop Mamdani and Hochul’s radical socialist agenda."

Bringing joy to the polls, one song at a time

As the sun rose over the Red Door Learning Centers in Westbury, best friends Rodney Caines and Kern McIntosh prepared to bring some joy to the polling center.

The two unloaded a blue van and set up a table with several speakers. McIntosh, 51, a working DJ, planned to spend the morning playing music for DJs at the Polls, a nonpartisan nonprofit founded in 2009.

The first song McIntosh played: "Lovely Day," by Bill Withers.

"Music is universal," he said, adding that he hopes the tunes will help "lighten" the mood of an intense election for voters. "It’s one thing that seems to bring everybody together."

Caines, a Westbury Board of Education trustee, said his friend has been DJing since he was a kid, "standing on a crate, next to his dad."

Caines said he voted at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

"It’s important that we learn to work together, whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat," he said.

'Everyone should vote'

A slow trickle of voters moved through Minnesauke Elementary School in East Setauket on Tuesday morning, about a half hour after Election Day polls opened.

Among them was Steven Goldberg, 70, of Setauket, who said he has "voted in every election" because "it matters that everyone should vote."

This year, Goldberg said the gubernatorial race was top of mind for him. Gov. Kathy Hochul is running against Nassau Executive Bruce Blakeman.

"The governor’s race is very important to me," he told Newsday. "Based upon the two candidates, it was pretty simple to me as to who was the right one to vote for."

Hochul, a Democrat, won Goldberg’s vote, according to the Setauket resident.

"I just feel like [Hochul] has the people in her thoughts," he said. "In my opinion, [Blakeman] is a mini-Trump. ... He doesn't care about the little guy."

Marla Gorman, 64, of Setauket, said she came out to vote because “I really feel like this is the election that could [determine] the direction of our politics.”

Gorman told Newsday that she wanted to see a continuation of Hochul’s policies. She cited “meals in school, full daycare [being made] available and [Hochul] teaming up with Mamdani,” referring to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

“I was kind of skeptical at first, but they're doing a lot of good for a lot of working families,” she said. “I'd like to see that continue.”

Voters head to the polls in Hicksville

Voters lined up bright and early at East Street Elementary School in Hicksville on Tuesday.

As poll workers tended to their duties, voters had already started arriving shortly after polls opened at 6 a.m. 

More than 175 candidates are running for office across Long Island. At the top of the ticket is Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, who is running against Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

Polls officially open across New York for Election Day

Polls are now open across New York for Election Day, following a stretch of nine days of early voting.

To find your poll site, click here. You’ll need basic information to see your assigned polling place.

Polls will be open throughout Long Island until 9 p.m., though you can still vote past 9 p.m. if you checked in before closing time and remain standing at a line.

Those who feel they’re being stopped from voting can call a hotline by the New York Attorney General’s Office at 866-390-2992 or click here to file a complaint.

New data shows surge in number of unaffiliated voters on Long Island

A growing number of Nassau voters are now registering without a party affiliation, edging out Republicans, state data shows.

Numbers published by the state Board of Elections on Monday show that 31% of active Nassau voters are unaffiliated (commonly known as independent or blank), up from 28% in February of this year. Democrats and Republicans each saw a 1% drop in enrollment since last year.

In Nassau, "Independent voters now outnumber Republican voters," said Jeff Wice, a New York Law School professor and former counsel to the state Legislature.

Nassau’s spread of active voters is currently 37% registered Democrats, 31% independent and 30% Republican. Meanwhile in Suffolk, party enrollment has stayed consistent with 33% of active voters registered as Democrats, 31% as Republicans and 31% as unaffiliated.

The unaffiliated voter bloc has seen a steady increase in Nassau over the last decade. In 2016, 24% of the county’s active voters were independent.

The shift has been especially stark within Nassau’s "majority-minority" districts. Ten years ago, 58% of voters in minority neighborhoods were registered Democrats, Newsday has reported. That number dropped to 51% in 2024, with a growing number of unaffiliated voters in those areas.

Unaffiliated voters make decisions based on issues that matter to them, rather than on party lines, Wice said.

"Hard-to-call elections may end up being decided by independent voters," he told Newsday.

Both Suffolk and Nassau have new voting machines

Poll sites in Nassau and Suffolk counties feature upgraded voting machines designed to streamline the ballot casting experience. Suffolk’s touch screen machines debuted earlier this year while Nassau’s are rolling out for the first time.

Check out Newsday reporter Candice Ferrette’s story profiling the new machines following a combined $57 million investment.

See the story here.

Who's on the ballot? Newsday has a guide for that.

Still trying to decide who to vote for?

Newsday compiled its annual voters guide to get you up to speed with the over 200 candidates on the ballot this year.

The interactive guide lists challengers, incumbents and where they stand on key issues they look to address if in office.

You can access the guide here.

Election Day is today. Here's what to know.

It's Election Day Tuesday and more than 650 polling sites across Long Island will be open to cast a ballot.

Voting is from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. today across state poll sites, which include 347 in Nassau and 323 in Suffolk.

Unlike during the 9-day, in-person early voting period that ended on Sunday, residents can only cast an in-person ballot on Election Day at a predesignated polling location. 

There are more than 175 candidates in contests across Long Island, including those for federal, state and local offices.

At the top of the ticket, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, faces a challenge from Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

Hochul, in her fifth year in office, shares the ticket with former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is running as her lieutenant governor. Blakeman, one year into his second term as county executive, selected Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood as his running mate.

State Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, faces Republican Saritha Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor, while longtime state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, a Democrat and Nassau native, is challenged by Joseph Hernandez, a biotech entrepreneur.

Nearly 2 million New Yorkers have already voted, including 192,623 in Nassau and 178,613 in Suffolk, according to state from each election board. During this period, more registered Democrats turned out in both counties than Republicans, who may show in larger numbers on Election Day, experts say.

The Island's congressional delegation — two Republicans representing mostly Suffolk and two Democrats representing mostly Nassau — also face challenges in races that may impact who controls the U.S. House.

In the 1st Congressional District, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) faces Democrat Chris Gallant; in the 2nd district, Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Sayville) faces Democrat Patrick Halpin; in the 3rd District, Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) faces Republican Mike LiPetri; and in the 4th District Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) faces Republican Jeanine Driscoll.

There are also more than 30 state legislature races in districts covering Long Island.

All 19 seats on the Nassau County Legislature are also on the ballot, as well as the supervisors of each of the three towns in the county. In Suffolk, voters will decide on county comptroller and clerk as well as two contested town supervisor races.

Uncontested and cross-endorsed judicial candidates will also appear on the ballots.

Newsday's Bahar Ostadan contributed to this blog.