Direct answer: In New York City, vote counting on election night typically starts as soon as polls close (6 PM to 9 PM depending on the election) and proceeds with first-count tallies. For NYC’s 2025 general election, results were expected to begin pouring in after polls closed on November 4, 2025, with eventual updates continuing for several hours as more ballots are processed, including early mail-in and in-person absentee ballots. Final, official results can take longer, especially with ranked-choice voting tallies, and may not be fully posted until the next day or later, depending on vote counts and provisional ballots. Key details to know:
- Election Day poll hours: 6 AM to 9 PM local time in NYC. If you are in line by 9 PM, you can still vote. This establishes the window for on-site vote counts to begin on election night.
- NYC uses ranked-choice voting for several offices, so initial results show first-choice tallies and later rounds as needed. Final results require processing of ranked-choice tallies, which can extend the timeline.
- Local outlets and the New York City Board of Elections typically publish live results as counts update, but timing can vary widely by race and ballot type. Expect updates to continue into the night and possibly into the following day for full tabulation.
What to watch for:
- Early results: First round tallies announced shortly after polls close; may show a candidate taking an early lead based on first-choice votes.
- Ranked-choice rounds: If no candidate has a majority of first-choice votes, subsequent rounds are counted and reported as ballots transfer according to voters’ rankings.
- Smoking gun indicators: Media outlets and the NYC Board of Elections provide updates, with final official results after all rounds are counted.
If you want, I can pull the latest, race-by-race NYC results and provide a live-update-style summary for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, and other key races, with notes on when each major update was reported.
