Polling stations opened Saturday for the start of in-person voting for two of the year's most closely watched elections: the New York City mayor's race and the contest to pick New Jersey's next governor.

New Yorkers are choosing between Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat on the ballot as an independent. The incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, is also on the ballot but dropped out of the race last month and recently threw his support behind Cuomo.

On Saturday morning, a steady stream of voters turned out at an early voting site at Creedmoor, a psychiatric hospital in the New York City borough of Queens where Mamdani lives and Cuomo was born and raised.

Deepa Paulus, a 28-year-old artist, was among a number of younger voters who cast their ballot for Mamdani, citing his pledge to tackle housing and other affordability issues in the high-cost city.

“He has a lot of really good ideas for the future of New York, and I feel very hopeful when I hear him talking,” the registered Democrat said. “I know it’s hard to actually implement changes like that, but I’m excited to see what he does.”

Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has electrified liberal voters who are drawn to his proposals such as universal, free child care, free buses, and a rent freeze for New Yorkers living in about 1 million rent-regulated apartments.

However Alix Mondesir, a 67-year-old retired lawyer, said he voted for Cuomo even as he conceded that the “idealism of Mamdani spoke to my heart directly."

“The bottom line is we can’t go on hopes. We have to go on someone that shows that they can handle the budget, that they’ve been in the fire and that they’ve survived,” the registered Democrat said. “I don’t want a guy learning on the job. I want a guy with a proven track record.”

Cuomo has portrayed Mamdani's policies as naive and financially irresponsible. He has appealed to voters to pick him because of his experience as the state's governor, a position he gave up in 2021 after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment.

Cuomo has also assailed Mamdani, who would be the city's first Muslim mayor, over his criticism of Israel.

Mamdani, who has weathered anti-Muslim rhetoric during the contest, says Israel’s war in Gaza amounts to genocide. Cuomo and Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels public safety patrol group, equate Mamdani's position with antisemitism.

Early voting runs through Nov. 2 in New York City. Polling sites will then open widely for Election Day on Nov. 4.

AP video by Philip Marcelo