Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) signed a law on Saturday that will allow voters to receive water while waiting to vote in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary next week, in the hopes it can cool off those who wish to cast their ballots.
Extreme heat is set to scorch New York City as residents go to the polls on Tuesday, with heat indexes indicating temperatures of up to 110 degrees.
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“Our democracy works best when every eligible voter has a chance to cast their ballot,” Hochul said in a statement. “Providing water to voters waiting in line is a common-sense way to ensure New Yorkers have an easy, safe and secure experience in the voting booth. I’m committing to protecting the right to vote for all eligible New Yorkers.”
The law repeals a part of New York election law that enforced criminal penalties against those who provided items of small value to voters like food and water. “Voting is a civil right, not an endurance contest. With extreme heat forecast for the upcoming election, it’s important that voters at polling places can legally be given water and refreshments while they wait,” state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who is running for mayor, said in the statement with Hochul.
Mayor Eric Adams said the heat will “not just be uncomfortable and oppressive for New Yorkers this coming week, it will be brutal and it will be dangerous.”
Early voting in the Democratic primary for mayor and other contests has already begun. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, and city Comptroller Brad Lander are considered the top contenders.
Cuomo, the front-runner, may have the most to lose from the heat. While every candidate crosses the city to convince voters, Cuomo has been telling his supporters to vote early, before the heat arrives on Tuesday. His campaign shared a video with Cuomo urging supporters to vote early, with the caption: “Vote Early and Avoid 100 [degrees] on Tuesday.”
Vote early Saturday June 21 and Sunday June 22.
— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) June 21, 2025
Vote to bring effective leadership to City Hall, for a mayor who delivers results and gets things done, for a city you can afford, for a city that’s safe on the streets and subways.
RANK ANDREW CUOMO #1. pic.twitter.com/ti5pjTVHMO
He has also pushed for air conditioning to be installed at polling sites. “The steps outlined to meet the heat at polling locations are not sufficient. Water must be passed out and A/C systems must be installed to ensure that people who are voting can do so in a cool and comfortable environment,” Cuomo posted on X.
Lander’s campaign has also been involved in trying to help voters beat the heat, as they plan to send cars to polling sites filled with water, Gatorade, hydration packs, and coolers.
Cuomo’s more moderate base has older supporters, who are considered more vulnerable to the heat and could stay home on Tuesday in fear of the high temperatures. A recent Marist poll saw 47% of voters 45 or older back Cuomo as their first choice, while 52% of under-45s backed his top opponent Mamdani.
The same poll solidified Cuomo’s status as the front-runner as he beat Mamdani in the seventh round of ranked choice voting, 55% to 45%. But if his older voters don’t turn out, especially in the face of Mamdani’s progressive moment, it could mean a closer race.
In a positive sign for Mamdani’s campaign, younger voters have turned out at higher rates in early voting so far. In the 10-day early voting period in 2021, 19,367 voters under 30 voted early in person. This year, 45,052 voters in that group cast ballots in early voting’s first seven days.
On Friday night, Mamdani walked across Manhattan for more than six hours greeting supporters. He’ll make his final argument to voters on the The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with Lander on Monday.
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Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi signaled the campaign is confident heading into the election, referencing their resounding 2018 gubernatorial primary win against Cynthia Nixon.
“This is a campaign of work horses, not show ponies, and I’d like to remind people that the last time we ran against a silver spoon socialist in a Trump backlash year, we actively expanded the electorate,” he said.