Westchester Ballot Count Delayed to Wednesday After Software Glitch

Elections officials in Westchester County will begin processing paper ballots at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, a delay caused by a software glitch that disabled voting machines across the region. The technical failure prevented scanners from accepting ballots when polls opened Tuesday, forcing voters to place completed forms in sealed bags instead of inserting them into machines.

The New York Board of Elections attributed the error to a post-testing software update for a single municipal contest. That update altered the system in a way that rendered the original software incompatible with the paper ballots used in other municipalities. Because the machines could not recognize the ballots, officials moved the physical documents to a county warehouse. Police escorted the bags to the site, where representatives from political parties and election staff will oversee the scanning and counting process.

The delay impacts the tally for New York’s 17th Congressional District, a race described as competitive between Republican Representative Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley. Westchester County leans liberal, making the delayed votes a central factor in the final margin. Both candidates urged residents to vote despite the confusion, emphasizing that no ballots would be discarded. Lawler acknowledged the logistical challenges at a news conference, noting the situation caused frustration and long lines. He clarified, however, that there were no irregularities in the process.

Despite the pending count, Lawler conceded the race late Tuesday. He predicted the results would show he was short of the necessary votes once the Westchester ballots were tallied. The Associated Press had not officially declared a winner as of early Wednesday. The concession followed a day of operational hurdles that left some voters questioning the preparedness of the election infrastructure.

Toni Chrystal, a White Plains resident, described feeling uneasy after casting her ballot in the morning. She completed her form around 7 a.m. and followed instructions to deposit it into a designated bag. Chrystal questioned why the equipment malfunction occurred in one of the state's wealthiest counties. She noted that early voting had functioned correctly and asked why the final test phase did not catch the software conflict before election day.

The warehouse count is set to begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Officials stated that the supervision by party representatives is standard procedure to ensure transparency during the manual processing phase.