By the Numbers: What Happens After New Yorkers Register to Vote?

In 2025, 260,195 New Yorkers registered to vote for the first time, more than twice the number of new registrants in 2021.  

And most of those new voters were young. 

Nearly two-thirds of new registrants – 64.8% – were under 30. 

That’s a lot of new, young voters joining the rolls. But registration is only the beginning. The more interesting question is: 

Did they vote? 

They did.  

In the 2025 primary, 35.2% of 18- to 29-year-olds voted, compared with 17.9% in 2021.

That’s a 17.3 percentage-point increase, nearly twice the 2021 turnout rate.

The difference was even bigger in the General Election.

41.9% of New Yorkers ages 18-29 voted in 2025, compared with 11.1% in 2021. That’s a 30.8 percentage-point increase in four years. 

The day before the 2025 primary registration deadline, 16,505 New Yorkers registered to vote. More than five times the previous single-day record from 2021.

For thousands of New Yorkers, the decision to register happened right at the deadline.  

And then, many of those new voters came back to cast a ballot.  

In 2025, the average age of a New York City voter was 50, down from 55 in 2021.

That doesn’t mean NYC’s electorate suddenly became young. But it does mean younger voters made up a bigger part of those who turned out.

For National Voter Registration Day, we’re sharing this story because registering to vote is where participation starts. In 2025, more New Yorkers took the first step, and many of them followed it all the way to the polls. 

If you’re eligible to vote, make sure you’re registered for the General Election!

Source: NYC Campaign Finance Board, 2025 Voter Analysis Report 

Check your registration, update your information, and get ready to vote.