More Democrats than Republicans cast ballots on Long Island in first weekend of early voting

More than 88,000 Long Islanders turned out during the first two days of early voting over the weekend — nearly double the number compared with four years ago — with Democrats showing in higher numbers than Republicans, according to unofficial numbers as of Monday morning from election boards in Nassau and Suffolk counties. 

At the start of the nine days of early voting, registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans at the polls in both counties, particularly in Suffolk, but a sizable number of voters unaffiliated with a political party turned out in Nassau. Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, is the Republican candidate seeking to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat serving her fifth year in office. Candidates for U.S. House, state, county and town races also are on the ballot.

Democrats in Nassau and Suffolk counties outnumber Republicans, according to state registration data. 

Statewide, more than 485,200 people have already voted, according to unofficial numbers released early Monday from the state Board of Elections.

"The Democrats are getting off to a quick start, and we have got to see if their momentum carries through to Election Day, given that Democrats are energized across the country and New York's early voting just started," said Jeffrey Wice, election expert and New York Law School professor. 

A total of 46,244 voters in Nassau cast ballots on Saturday and Sunday, according to county Board of Elections data sent to Newsday on Monday morning.

Forty-four percent — or 20,513 — were enrolled Democrats compared with 36% — or 16,448 — enrolled Republicans. Voters belonging to no political party made up 19%, or 8,639, of the total. The rest of the votes came from those who selected minor party lines such as Conservative or Working Families.

In Suffolk, the total number of early voters this weekend was 41,865. 

Forty-seven percent — or 19,647 — came from registered Democrats. Registered Republicans cast 29% — 12,227 — of the total early votes in Suffolk, with another 21%, or 9,166, from unaffiliated voters. The remainder, 825, came from other minor parties.

Many more New Yorkers voted early in the first weekend this year than in the same period during the last gubernatorial race, when Hochul in 2022 faced Republican Lee Zeldin, a former congressman from Shirley who now leads the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, a government watchdog group, said she was "thrilled" to see more New Yorkers voting early over the last few election cycles. 

“Early voting lets New Yorkers vote on their own time and is a gamechanger for caregivers, hourly workers, older New Yorkers and anyone else who doesn't want to worry about making time to vote on Election Day,” Lerner said.

In 2022, when early voting was less common, 262,599 people in New York voted in the first two days the polls were open — 28,240 were in Nassau and 21,363 were in Suffolk, according to state data.

By the end of that nine-day voting period, more than 1.1 million voters took advantage of early voting statewide in 2022 — 123,115 in Nassau and 98,226 in Suffolk, according to state data.

“Early voters tend to be those who are the most committed,” said Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship. They may be older voters, those who have to work on Election Day and those wishing to avoid long lines, he told Newsday.

Both Republicans and Democrats have stepped up messaging about their concerns about waiting until Nov. 3 to vote, as fears over federal agents visiting polling places, ballots being confiscated, or some kind of disruption persist, Reeher said. 

There’s also a level of enthusiasm driving people to the polls this midterm election, which may favor Democrats who have seen increased enthusiasm in recent special elections, Reeher said.

Democrats also have returned more mail-in or absentee ballots so far this cycle. 

Officials at the Nassau County BOE said of the 44,006 mail-in ballots requested, 13,522, or 31%, have been returned with Democrats sending in 34% over Republicans' 29%. Twenty-four percent of the mail-in ballots were returned by unaffiliated voters, and the balance were from minor party lines. 

According to the Suffolk BOE, the total number of mail-in ballots requested was 45,068. Of the 14,057 returned and counted so far, officials said 46% were from Democrats, 27% from Republicans and 20% from unaffiliated, with the rest from other party lines. 

It's early, the experts say. 

“There are so many unknowns in this election cycle that it’s hard to know really how this is going to play out and who it’s going to help and who it’s going to hurt,” said Reeher. "This is just such a strange midterm." 

While Democrats turned out in greater numbers, Nassau Republicans in mobilized in Franklin Square on Monday.

There, hundreds of GOP voters poured into a German restaurant adorned with a red carpet for candidates and loud speakers blasting remixes of Whitney Houston for a get-out-the-vote rally. Outside the venue, the Nassau GOP’s signature lifelike inflatable elephant stood beside a giant dog named Jack who was wearing a Bruce Blakeman T-shirt. 

“The issues are clear, and I think [voters] are on our side. Public safety, the economy, affordability,” Nassau GOP chair Joe Cairo told Newsday.

As for Democrats showing out in higher numbers so far, Cairo said he was not worried. 

“Opening day, Saturday, Democrats always come out, and then we rebound,” he said. “Republicans like to vote on Election Day … We’ll have a big Election Day and we’ll hold our own from now through Sunday when early voting ends.”