Polls are officially open for New York City’s 2025 Primary Election, and Brooklynites are heading out to vote in a packed primary cycle that includes closely watched races for mayor, Comptroller, Public Advocate and more.
In addition to citywide offices, Brooklyn voters will decide who will represent them as borough president, civil court judge, and in the City Council — all under the city’s ranked-choice voting system.
Early voting turnout was strong this year, especially in Brooklyn. According to the city’s Board of Elections, more than 142,000 Brooklynites cast their ballots during the nine-day early voting period — a 118% jump compared to the last mayoral primary in 2021. That’s the highest early voter turnout of any borough this year, outpacing even Manhattan.
Citywide, 384,338 voters checked in early — more than double the 191,197 early votes cast during the 2021 primary.
What to expect today
While the citywide mayoral race has captured much of the spotlight, several local contests in Brooklyn are drawing intense interest — particularly in southern Brooklyn, where Council Member Inna Vernikov faces a Republican primary challenge from former Democrat-turned-Republican Ari Kagan in District 48. Across the borough, in District 39, incumbent Council Member Shahana Hanif is fending off a challenge from Maya Kornberg, a former researcher at the Brennan Center for Justice, in a race that could test the political mood in Park Slope and Kensington.
Term-limited Council Member Justin Brannan, who currently represents parts of Bay Ridge and Coney Island, is looking to make a leap to citywide office with a run for New York City Comptroller. He’s facing a competitive Democratic primary against Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, State Senator Kevin Parker and others.
The Democratic mayoral primary is wide open, with former Governor Andrew Cuomo facing off against former Comptroller Scott Stringer, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and progressive favorite Zohran Mamdani. With no clear frontrunner, ranked-choice voting and high turnout in Brooklyn could be key to deciding the race.
Brooklyn Paper will have reporters stationed at polling sites throughout the borough today, and we’ll be tracking the results of some of the most contentious races as they unfold tonight.
Calm before the storm
As of 9 a.m., things appeared calm at polling sites across Brooklyn.
Thanks in part to a strong early voting turnout and the city’s first major heatwave of the summer, little to no lines were reported at poll sites in neighborhoods like Bay Ridge, Crown Heights and Bushwick. Poll workers described a steady but manageable flow of voters, with most sites well-staffed and air-conditioned — offering a brief reprieve from the scorching heat outside.
Still, some sites — like M.S. 51 and P.S. 321 in Park Slope — saw a steady stream of voters.
Fran and Michael, who cast their ballots at M.S. 51, told Brooklyn Paper that homelessness, housing and transportation were top concerns heading into this primary.
“I’m also concerned about the transparency of politics and where the concentration of power lies,” Michael said. “I’m concerned about corruption in government and honesty. That’s a very important thing to me.”
Michael noted that the high turnout among younger voters — particularly those between ages 25 and 34 — was encouraging.
“I think it’s a positive sign. I hope that it becomes something national. My breath is held until the next elections [and] see what happens,” he said. “There’s great advertising among politicians and spins. For me, what happens in the voting booth is going to determine the future of this country.”
William Yu, who also voted at M.S. 51, said his biggest concerns were housing and street safety.
“I think the affordability is a main issue in terms of housing, really just the cost of everything is really important,” Yu said. “The other important thing for us is street safety — e-bikes and cars.”
Yu said he hoped high voter turnout among young people would lead to more long-term civic engagement.
“Things are really hard right now, particularly for young people,” he said, acknowledging that it took significant challenges to mobilize younger voters. “I wish that it was always this way, but I think it’s great. Whatever gets the young people out.”
Voters Kelly and Sarah said they had no particular policy concerns but were excited to cast their votes — with the exception of one shared worry: the possibility of Andrew Cuomo winning the primary.
“There are so many exciting people who are running for mayor and running to be civil servants in this election. We woke up this morning excited to come here and vote and about the slate of candidates willing to serve the people of New York,” Sarah said. “They just seem like they do want to be civil servants. They are working for us and want everything to be better in New York. And I think a New York that gets better and better is the kind of New York I want to live in.”
Her partner Kelly added, “The people who treat this as their job, those are the people that you want to elect, not the people who think it’s some sort of cool thing to do.”
Check back throughout the day for live primary election updates. Experience something unusual at your poll site? We want to hear from you! E-mail mmcgoldrick@schnepsmedia.com with the subject line “Primary Day Live Updates.” Last updated: June 24, 11:16 a.m.
With reporting by Gabriele Holtermann, Meaghan McGoldrick & Lloyd Mitchell
