Election officials: Early voting turnout passes 1M in NYC

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Voters wait in line to vote in Astoria, Queens.

NEW YORK (AP) - More than a million people have cast in-person ballots in New York City, election officials announced Sunday, the state's ninth and final day of early voting.

New Yorkers reported wait times of a half-hour or less at many polling places and posted selfies of early voting stickers to social media. The New York City Board of Elections shared a photograph of a 100-year-old voter casting a ballot and wearing a mask.

Statewide, more than 2.2 million people had voted in person through Saturday, according to the New York State Board of Elections, or about 17% of registered voters. On top of that, more than a million voters have returned absentee ballots.

The surge in early voting and votes by absentee ballots comes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Early voting ends at 4 p.m. Sunday. New York doesn’t offer early voting Monday, and Election Day is Tuesday.

The rush to vote is leading election experts to predict a record 150 million votes cast, with turnout rates higher than in any presidential election since 1908.

New York's overall turnout was projected to top two-thirds of 12 million registered voters. The state did not allow early voting in 2016.