Pelham Manor Election Results Delayed, 'Plagued By Irregularities'

UPDATE: Pelham Manor Decides: Certified Village Trustee Results Are In

PELHAM MANOR, NY — Voting machine issues have delayed the unofficial results of the Pelham Manor Village Trustee election.

Four candidates are seeking two two-year terms on the Village of Pelham Manor Board of Trustees.

Incumbent Republicans Breda Bennett and Maurice Owen-Michaane are running against Democratic challengers Kate Pringle and Mark Cardwell.

"The Village Clerk is writing to inform residents that the General Village Election is still underway," the Village Clerk said in a message to residents on Wednesday. "During the final count last night, it was realized that the voting machines that are provided by Westchester County Board of Elections were not properly programmed to read the Absentee/Early Mail Ballots. The Absentee/Early Mail Ballots were prepared in collaboration with the County Board of Elections."

Village Manager and Clerk Lindsey M. Luft said that unofficial results will not be released until it is clear all votes have been counted.

"As Village Clerk, I will continue to work with Westchester County Board of Elections today to ensure a full and proper count of the Absentee/Early Mail Ballots that were cast," she wrote. "Once this is complete, an official final count of votes cast will be shared."

On Tuesday, the chair of the Town of Pelham Democratic Committee, Allison Frost stopped just short of declaring victory, but noted pointedly that on Election Day, the two challengers earned more votes than the Republican incumbents.

"We are extremely proud that Pelham Manor had such a significant turnout for today's election, and that Kate Pringle and Mark Cardwell received more votes cast today than the incumbents did," Frost wrote in a statement. "It's a strong endorsement for fresh perspectives. We're equally disappointed that a series of mishaps is standing in the way of certifying the results."

If that trend holds, then Democrats will take two seats on the Pelham Manor board that is currently made up entirely of Republicans, but Frost said the candidates are content to wait for the final count, and she vowed to monitor the situation closely.

"As Democrats we support the right of each and every eligible citizen to cast a ballot — either in-person or absentee," Frost said. "Each of these legitimate votes must be protected and counted. Unfortunately, the process is currently plagued by irregularities. Hundreds of ballots have poured in at the last minute, many are absentee ballots. Some ballots have been disqualified, while others have been torn by malfunctioning machines. As of now, some ballots have been opened and counted, while others have not. The Village Manager and the Republican attorney the Village hired have decided to send home the poll workers, who are understandably exhausted due to a lack of appropriate staffing. Their plan is to keep the ballots overnight and send them to the Westchester Board of Elections for an official counting tomorrow. We intend to keep a close eye on developments to maintain the integrity of a process every one of our neighbors need to trust."