A New York State Senate seat was decided by 10 votes out of roughly 120,000 cast. It's not the only one. Here's the record.
From Congress down to a single State Assembly seat, New York's closest elections since 2020 have come down to margins smaller than the crowd at a high school football game.
Oct. 7: New Yorkers can still register to vote for November. The registration deadline is Oct. 24, the day early voting begins. Early voting runs through Nov. 1, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
North Country Public Radio, Oct. 7, 2026 · NY State Board of Elections
Early voting runs Oct. 24 to Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 3.
New York races decided by 10,000 votes or fewer since 2020
This covers every level of government (Congress, the State Senate and Assembly, and New York City) and includes primaries, a special election and general elections. Sorted closest to widest.
State Senate 50
10 vote margin61,579 votes to 61,569. Certified after a hand recount of roughly 120,000 ballots.
WAER · nny360.com. View source →
Assembly 23
15 vote margin16,185 votes to 16,170. Certified roughly two months after Election Day.
Queens Daily Eagle · QNS. View source →
House NY-22
109 vote margin156,098 votes to 155,989. Certified Feb. 5, 2021 after a court-ordered recount.
CNN. View source →
Assembly 23
1,568 vote margin24,235 votes to 22,667.
Wikipedia, citing NYS Board of Elections certification. View source →
House NY-19 special
3,078 vote margin66,088 votes to 63,010.
Wikipedia, citing NYS Board of Elections certification. View source →
House NY-19
4,495 vote margin146,004 votes to 141,509.
Ballotpedia · NYS Board of Elections. View source →
NYC Mayor primary
7,197 vote margin404,513 votes to 397,316, after ranked-choice tabulation.
NBC New York. View source →
Both parties have won and lost these razor-thin races. Republicans and Democrats each carried several of the seats above by margins smaller than the crowd at a high school football game. Close margins show up across the system and are not tied to either party. In a state of roughly 20 million people, some of its most consequential elections have come down to double and triple digits.
10 votes decided a State Senate seat. 15 votes decided an Assembly seat.
A single vote has decided elections in New York before, more than once and in more than one kind of race. Two minutes now is how you make sure yours counts this time.
Check Your Registration Request a Mail-In Ballot
Official New York State Board of Elections tools.
The numbers New Yorkers are weighing this cycle
These figures are not a verdict on any candidate, party or office holder. They are the numbers behind five things New Yorkers are dealing with right now.
National average price for a gallon of regular gasoline, mid-September 2026. A year earlier it was $3.19, so the price is up roughly 37%.
AAA Gas Prices, Sept. 2026. View source →
New Yorkers the state estimates could lose Essential Plan or Medicaid coverage and become uninsured, following the elimination of federal funding support enacted in 2025. Independent estimates for the same change range from roughly 450,000 to 1.2 million, depending on methodology and timeline.
NY State of Health (state estimate), May 2025; NY1, July 2025. View source →
Rural hospitals nationwide that have closed or converted to a reduced-service model since 2010. A further 417 are currently identified as vulnerable to closure.
Chartis Center for Rural Health, Feb. 2026. View source →
Estimated added cost to the average U.S. household per year under current tariff policy, per two nonpartisan economic research organizations using different models.
Yale Budget Lab & Tax Foundation, 2026. View source →
People who died in ICE custody between January 2025 and March 18, 2026. That is the highest toll in over two decades. Other trackers using more recent, independently verified data report a higher total as of September 2026.
KFF, Mar. 2026. View source →
What New York State did to make voting easier
These laws changed how New Yorkers vote. Each one is explained below.
Of early voting, Saturday, Oct. 24 through Sunday, Nov. 1, at your county's early voting sites.
NYS Board of Elections, 2026 deadlines. View source →
Can vote early by mail, an option that took effect in 2024. Your county board must receive your online or mailed application by Oct. 24, or you can apply in person by Nov. 2. Postmark it by Nov. 3; it must arrive by Nov. 10.
NYS Board of Elections. View source →
Is both the registration deadline and the first day of early voting. New York calls it "Golden Day": you can register and vote on the same day.
NY Attorney General, key dates. View source →
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York became law on June 20, 2022. It bans voter intimidation and deception and expands language help beyond federal rules.
Brennan Center. View source →
Early voting runs Oct. 24 to Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 3.
Sources
You don't have to take our word for any of it.
Every figure and race on this page links to its source. What you do next is up to you. It only takes two minutes to make sure your voice counts.
Official New York State Board of Elections tools.
Get updates about your district
Leave your info and we'll send you updates on this issue and the races in your district.