Thousands of voters in the Hudson Valley were among the 1.1 million people in New York who took advantage of early voting.

Roughly 150,000 people in the five-county Lower-Hudson Valley region cast a vote over the last week and a half. Twenty-five thousand people in Dutchess, Orange and Rockland counties cast their ballots already, and another 8,000 people voted in Putnam. Westchester led the way with 69,000 voters getting out early to have their voices heard.

VOTE 2022: How to find your polling location, voter registration status and Election Day hotlines

The number of ballots cast each day statewide increased as Election Day neared with 37,000 on October 29 and almost doubled that this past Sunday, showing the urgency is ramping up.

Voters say issues such as inflation, immigration, equality and the destruction of democracy are driving factors in this year's election.

Early voting totals were down for all five counties compared to the 2020 presidential general election. This is the first midterm election since New York implemented early voting in 2019.

Voters of all political parties say they feel this election is important. There are 13 million registered voters in New York with Democrats outnumbering Republicans more than 2-1.

Polls are open on Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.