As they awaited the arrival of paper ballots from across the county in the wake of widespread voting machine problems, Westchester election officials assured voters that all lawful ballots would be counted — but that the count would not begin until late Wednesday morning, the day after Election Day.
"Our message to voters is simple: Every lawful vote will be counted," the Westchester County Board of Elections said in a statement late Tuesday night.
Among the races awaiting results in the Halston Media coverage area are New York's 17th Congressional District, state Senate District 40, Assembly Districts 92, 93 and 95, Westchester County Board of Legislators Districts 1, 2 and 4, and local races in Bedford, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, North Salem, Pound Ridge, Somers and Yorktown.
However, Conley is projected to win based on votes in other counties within the district.
Lawler told supporters he had called Conley to concede.
"When all the votes are counted tomorrow in Westchester, it's gonna be pretty clear that we will be short," he said, adding that conceding was "the right thing to do."
The board said procedures established under a consent decree ordered by New York State Supreme Court Justice Paul Marx would ensure that ballots were handled securely.
“The ballot scanner issues experienced across Westchester County today were serious,” the statement said. “Our immediate priority is ensuring that every lawful ballot is secured, accounted for, and counted.”
Officials said a bipartisan team immediately implemented emergency procedures to secure ballots and maintain bipartisan oversight throughout the process.
After polls closed at 9 p.m., ballots were collected and transported under police supervision from polling places to the Board of Elections facility in Ardsley, where they would remain under police protection until counting began.
The board said counting would not begin until 11 a.m. Wednesday, with the process conducted under the direction and oversight of the county's election commissioners.
“We remain committed to protecting the integrity of the election and ensuring that every lawful vote is counted,” the statement concluded.
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