New York's Election Day polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, giving registered voters their final in-person window in the 2026 general election. New York City voters should confirm their assigned site through the Board of Elections lookup before leaving home because Election Day locations are address-specific and can differ from early-voting centers. A voter who is in line by 9 p.m. may remain to cast a ballot.
The city entered Tuesday after 690,526 unofficial early-voting check-ins during the nine-day period that ended Sunday. The Board of Elections reported 219,536 in Brooklyn, 188,434 in Manhattan, 162,914 in Queens, 67,630 in the Bronx and 52,012 on Staten Island. Those figures count check-ins rather than certified ballots, and they do not disclose choices. They measure use of early sites, not a result or a forecast of the remaining vote.
Voters holding completed early-mail or absentee ballots still have two routes. An envelope sent through the mail must receive a postmark no later than November 3 and reach the county board by November 10. A voter can instead deliver it to the county Board of Elections office or an open poll site within the county by 9 p.m. Tuesday. Postal collection times matter because an envelope deposited late may receive the next day's postmark.
New York also limits what happens if a voter was issued a mail ballot but decides to appear in person. State guidance says that person may not use a voting machine for the same election and instead can cast an affidavit ballot. Election officials then determine whether the earlier ballot was received before deciding which valid ballot is counted. The rule is designed to protect a single vote while preserving an in-person option when a mailed ballot may not arrive.
At the poll site, voters may ask an inspector for assistance or use an accessible ballot-marking device. A person whose name is missing from the poll book can ask about an affidavit ballot rather than treating the absence as a final eligibility ruling. Problems involving access, intimidation or administration can be documented with the site coordinator and the appropriate election office. Voters should rely on election officials for process questions rather than instructions circulating on social media.
Tuesday-night totals will be unofficial. Early votes and Election Day scanner results may appear first, while eligible mail, affidavit, military and overseas ballots can be added later after statutory review. Close contests may remain unsettled even if a large share of precincts has reported. A public projection is not certification, and a change in the displayed margin can reflect ordinary addition of another ballot category rather than an error or reversal.
The early-check-in total also should not be compared across boroughs without population and registration context. Brooklyn's count was the largest, but Brooklyn also has the city's largest population. Different contests, commuting patterns, site capacity and use of mail voting can affect the timing of participation. The cleanest conclusion is operational: nearly 691,000 city voters checked in before Election Day, reducing but not eliminating the volume that poll sites must handle Tuesday.
For someone voting today, the practical sequence is short: verify registration and the assigned location, review the official ballot, allow time for lines and arrive before 9 p.m. A voter returning a paper ballot should choose an authorized deadline-compliant method and keep any available tracking information. The election remains open until the polls close and the later receipt and review deadlines pass, so reports should distinguish verified participation data from final, certified outcomes.
Primary sources: NYC Board of Elections general-election information; NYC Board of Elections early-voting check-ins; New York State Board of Elections ballot-return instructions. Reviewed November 3, 2026. Development: Election Day is November 3, 2026.