Westchester County Holds Election Results Amid Ballot Counting Delays

Westchester County election officials have paused the release of results while they complete a manual recount of emergency ballots.

The delay stems from a technical failure on Election Day that affected nearly all voting machines in the county. An issue with paper ballots prevented the equipment from accepting votes at polling locations across the region. Officials stated that the Board of Elections began addressing the malfunction immediately to ensure residents could continue voting.

To manage the outage, staff implemented emergency ballot protocols. Voters filled out paper forms, which were placed in secure bags for later processing. The county reported that these ballots are currently being tabulated using scanners. The counting process will continue daily until all tens of thousands of emergency ballots have been processed.

In a November 5 update, the bipartisan Board of Elections addressed the public’s concern about the timeline. The officials noted that their primary responsibility is to ensure every valid ballot is processed with care. They emphasized the need for established safeguards and thorough verification to maintain the integrity of the election.

The Board acknowledged the disruption caused to voters, poll workers, and election staff. Officials apologized for the frustration, confusion, and inconvenience resulting from the situation. They reiterated that no voters were turned away or asked to return at a later time during the crisis. Every properly cast ballot was secured for counting.

The latest update from the county provided no specific estimate for when the final tally will be complete. The board indicated that the process requires attention to detail, which extends the time needed to finish the count. Officials maintained that the focus remains on accuracy over speed as they work through the backlog.