The New York City mayoral elections have commenced with unprecedented voter engagement, as the city stands on the brink of electing its first Muslim mayor. Early voting saw a record-breaking 735,000 ballots cast, quadrupling the numbers from the 2021 election. Leading the race is Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist and assembly member, who has consistently topped opinion polls for months. Mamdani secured a decisive victory in the Democratic primary in June, defeating former New York governor Andrew Cuomo by nearly 13 percentage points. Cuomo, now running as an independent, faces competition from veteran Republican Curtis Sliwa. Outgoing mayor Eric Adams initially planned to run as an independent but withdrew in September, though his name remains on the ballot. Mamdani’s campaign focuses on affordability, advocating for higher corporate taxes, increased taxes on the wealthy, rent stabilization, and expanded subsidized housing. Polls close at 9pm ET, with results anticipated shortly thereafter. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Cuomo, warning that a Mamdani victory would jeopardize federal funding for New York. Despite being a Republican, Trump urged voters to support Cuomo over Sliwa. Meanwhile, a recent report by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate highlighted a surge in Islamophobic and xenophobic discourse on social media, with over 1.5 billion views of such content targeting Mamdani since his primary win.