With a majority of the votes counted, 2.4 million New Yorkers cast their ballots on Election Day. That adds up to an 18% voter turnout compared to just 3% who turned out during early voting.
It's an off-year election and for some political scientists, it's known as an "off-off year" — but one that is crucial because it is so hyper-local.
Early on at the polls across the state, it was a relatively quiet start, and pretty much stayed the course all day.
During those nine days of that early voting window that started Oct. 28 and ran through Nov. 5, the final tally from the Board of Elections had 397,462 registered voters who cast their ballots across the state ahead of Election Day this year.
Some voters shared their thoughts on Election Day with Spectrum News 1.
"For me, it is a chance to vote and to give my opinions on things," said Norma Grover. "I definitely think it's a responsibility and a right of Americans to do this."
"I think the business environment in New York state is challenging," said Mark Antinore. "I'd like to stay here and grow my business. I'm hopeful we can make some changes moving forward to make that a possibility."
"I am just trying to fulfill my civic duty," said Chad Sanford. "I think a lot of times, people view politics as an older folks' game. I think it's important that young people come out and put their opinions on the ballot."
St. John Fisher University Political Science Professor Ricky Price has been tracking voter turnout. He said he is not surprised but it's still alarming that many take the right for granted.