Live Updates: Steady stream of voters kick off an anxious Election Day

Where to vote, what's on your ballot and more [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] [Ad: New Jersey Symphony's 2022/2023 centennial season with yo yo ma]( Sponsored Message Live Updates: Steady stream of NY and NJ voters kick off an anxious Election Day [voters lined up inside a precinct early this morning] Gwynne Hogan/Gothamist [Polls are now open]( across New York and New Jersey for this year's general election. Voters in both states are selecting their next members of Congress, with the national balance of power in play. New Yorkers are also deciding who will be their next governor, attorney general and state legislators. Early this morning, a steady stream of voters arrived at Robert Wagner Middle School on the Upper East Side to cast their ballots. Mike O'Neil, 35, said he voted Democrat down the ballot. He said [with polls tightening in the race for governor]( he felt anxious to vote. "Probably makes me a little bit more vocal on getting my friends to vote," O'Neil said. Nehama Pielet, a retiree, said she was voting Republican. "New York's very Democratic, but so what?" Pielet said. "I just feel a bit unsafe. It's a terrible way to feel and I'm on my own. The way things are going I think we need to do things a little differently." Here's what you need to know before stepping into a voting booth • You can check your assigned poll site and sample ballot [here](. • Here’s a [breakdown of the issues]( in New York's gubernatorial race. • If you get an absentee ballot, but change your mind and decide to vote in person, you can only do so [using an affidavit ballot](. • If you live in New York City, you’ll be asked four ballot questions: [three on racial equity]( in the city and the other on [the Environmental Bond Act](. Ahead of the general election, New York Attorney General Letitia James reminded voters to call her office if they experience instances of voter intimidation. They can be reached at 866-390-2992 or online. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday it plans to [monitor poll sites in Queens]( to ensure they comply with the federal Voting Rights Act. We also want to know about your voting experience — send us an email at tips@gothamist.com with the subject line: Nov. 8 Election. Be sure to [follow Gothamist's live updates for full coverage]( through the end of Election Day, and look out for a special Wednesday morning edition of the Politics Brief for early election results. — Reporting by David Cruz and Gwynne Hogan --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ad: New Jersey Symphony's 2022/2023 centennial season with music director xian zhang]( Sponsored Message --------------------------------------------------------------- More political headlines this week: [Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin, side-by-side] [NY gubernatorial candidates make last-minute push in NYC]( Gov. Kathy Hochul sees Democratic turnout in the city as crucial to her success, while Republican Lee Zeldin believes he can win with at least 30% of the citywide vote. [Tom Kean Jr. and Tom Malinowski, side-by-side] [NJ will likely see 7th Congressional District race come down to the wire]( Experts say that if Republican candidate Tom Kean Jr. leads Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski on Election Night, his lead could be narrowed or reversed as mail-in ballots are counted. [the outside of an East Harlem school used as an early voting site] [Bomb scare temporarily closed East Harlem early voting site on Sunday]( The polling place in the predominantly Black and brown neighborhood was closed for about two hours during the final day of early voting. [All Things Considered host Sean Carlson speaks to locals at Suffolk County Community College] [On the road with WNYC: What we learned about Long Island's midterm races]( Three of Long Island's four congressional seats are open this year, making the region a key battleground in the fight to control Congress. [cots in a Randall's Island tent for migrants] [Owners of company providing services to NYC migrants are major supporters of governors who bused them north]( The family behind the company that's staffing the Randall's Island tent complex donated $400,000 to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ad: New Jersey Symphony's 2022/2023 centennial season with yo yo ma]( Sponsored Message [the logo for The People's Guide to Power] [The stakes of the 2022 midterms]( WNYC/Gothamist senior political reporter Brigid Bergin hosts a conversation about what's at stake for the country, and the New York-New Jersey region, in today's election. [LISTEN]( Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential political coverage and more. 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