New York abstained when the Second Continental Congress voted on the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776. Its delegates had not yet received authorization from the New York Provincial Congress to support independence.
The resolution nevertheless passed with the support of twelve colonies. New York’s provincial government later voted on July 9 to join the other colonies in supporting independence, so its initial abstention did not represent lasting opposition.
This detail helps explain why the July 2 vote and the July 4 Declaration are sometimes described differently. The Declaration presented the united position of the thirteen colonies after the independence movement had secured broader authorization.