As New York mayor's race heats up, Cuomo warns of inadequate weather plans
NEW YORK — The New York City mayoral race is heating up – literally.
With temperatures predicted to hit 100 degrees on Election Day, front-runner Andrew Cuomo is anxious to get his voters into polling sites — and he's demanding better preparation from city officials.
Cuomo, the Democratic frontrunner in the tightening race, posted on X, '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.'
The city Board of Elections' heat plan 'is insufficient, it's unacceptable,' Cuomo spokesperson Jason Elan said. 'We've been clear that the city should be distributing water on site, and that they would be installing a/c systems to make sure that everybody who wants to can make their voice heard on election day.'
The former governor has reason to be concerned about turnout next Tuesday: His anticipated victory relies upon robust support from older voters, who are more susceptible to dangerous heat conditions.
Board of Elections spokesperson Vincent Ignizio declined to comment on the Cuomo's campaign complaint. The board emphasized its preparation for the heat wave, releasing a statement earlier Thursday that staffers are finding fans for poll sites without air conditioning, 'ensuring a steady supply of water' and pledging a continuous supply of electricity, given the increased possibility of power outages.
Ignizio couldn't say Thursday how many of the city's 1,213 poll sites lack air conditioning since the board's 'site-by-site assessment' was ongoing. Contingency plans are in place to keep voting going through power outages, he added. And the board doesn't expect any voters having to wait in long lines, whether indoors or out.
'Our anticipation is that there is ample amount of bandwidth in the system to accommodate the voting,' he said.
There are just as many poll sites for the local primary as there were for the presidential election last year, which had roughly triple the turnout expected for the race to replace Mayor Eric Adams.
Cuomo was the first candidate to publicly raise concerns about the heat wave. On Wednesday, he called on Mayor Eric Adams' administration to guarantee every poll site is 'cool, comfortable and accessible,' and ensure bottled water is provided to every voter.
The former governor is running on his experience and take-charge attitude, and has taken digs at Adams' management. In a statement, City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus deferred to the Board of Elections, adding that it's an independent agency.
'As Andrew Cuomo should know, elections are managed by the New York City Board of Elections – an independent body, separate from the Adams administration,' she said. 'Mayor Adams believes that all New Yorkers should exercise their democratic right to vote, and we are coordinating closely with the New York City Board of Elections in advance of Tuesday's forecasted heat to monitor for impacts.'
Cuomo isn't the only candidate with concerns.
'It's going to be blazing hot,' mayoral candidate Brad Lander said Thursday after casting his vote early. 'Let's make sure now that the air conditioning is working in every polling site, and let's make sure it's on in advance.'
'I do not have confidence that Eric Adams' administration will do it,' Lander added.
Hot temperatures hurting Cuomo's vote total has been the subject of jokes from supporters of Zohran Mamdani. Cuomo's leading rival has a highly motivated base of younger voters who may be more likely to vote early, or to show up Tuesday despite the weather.
'Someone's worried about the old turnout Make it HOTTER!!!' leftist podcast host Stylianos Karoldis posted on X, referring to Cuomo. 'Praying to God it's a temperature only people under 45 can withstand,' he added.
Mamdani's campaign is taking a more sober view. 'We're concerned about the health and safety of every voter, and want people to take every precaution,' spokesperson Andrew Epstein said.
That includes the campaign's 'tens of thousands' of volunteers who will be standing outside poll sites as well, The campaign is preparing with pop-up tents, snacks, water and 'a lot of very specific guidance to canvassers to dress appropriately for the heat, to take breaks,' Epstein said.
The National Weather Service is predicting a high near 94 Tuesday, with the heat index potentially exceeding 100 degrees at times, calling it 'a true summertime hot and humid regime.'
Accuweather is also predicting that the high Tuesday could break the New York City record for June 24 of 96 degrees, set in 1888. Later that year, New Yorkers elected 30-year-old Tammany Hall favorite Hugh Grant, the youngest mayor in the city's history.
Hoping to hold off the 33-year-old Mamdani, Cuomo's pushing his supporters to vote early, through Sunday, when temperatures will be merely hot, and not yet miserable.
'While it's hot out in New York today, it's only going to get hotter,' Cuomo's campaign wrote in an email to supporters Thursday. 'So please, vote today, and encourage everyone you know to vote now to avoid next week's extreme heat.'
Voting rights advocates are pushing the same message.
'I don't ever remember a primary or any election day in New York state being remotely this hot,' said Perry Grossman, director of the Voting Rights Project at the New York Civil Liberties Union. 'My strong message to everybody is: early vote. Whether it's today, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, it's gonna be a little bit cooler. Take advantage of it.'
Joe Anuta contributed reporting
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