Westchester County Elections Use Orange Bags After Machine Failure
Thick paper ballots rejected by voting machines across Westchester County are forcing a manual count that could take weeks to complete.
By Layla Fontaine ·
Westchester County voters are casting ballots into orange emergency bags because paper ballots issued this year are too thick for many voting machines to process. This is the second time in 12 months that local elections in Pelham have faced delays that push results back by days or weeks.
The county board of elections issued printed paper ballots that failed to fit into the standard voting equipment. As a backup measure, poll workers are instructing voters to slide their completed ballots into orange bags. The bags have a capacity of between 75 and 100 ballots each. The board stated it is aware of the thickness issue preventing machines from accepting ballots at polling locations throughout the county.
Arthur Long, a candidate for Village of Pelham Trustee, identified the malfunction when he arrived at Daronco Townhouse at 6:00 a.m. to vote. He reported that no machine at that location was accepting ballots. Long had to place his completed ballot into one of the designated orange bags. He sent an email to the Pelham Examiner to document the start of his voting process.
The disruption extends beyond Pelham to other parts of the county. Long lines formed at several polling places, including Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Pelham Manor. The county board issued statements urging voters to remain calm and wait in line. The board assured residents that every vote matters and that ballots will remain secure and be counted. The board also said it is coordinating with state officials and county government workers to minimize disruption.
By noon, the voting process appeared to be moving forward at Daronco Townhouse and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. However, the orange bags were filling up rapidly. Two observers who requested not to be quoted said the county planned to send more bags for the afternoon. One observer noted that the county had hoped to implement an electronic fix for the machines by noon but was not optimistic about success.
The manual sorting process is likely to extend the timeline for determining election results. Last year, a tight race in Pelham Manor took days to resolve and triggered a recount. That recount did not take place until early December. The current situation follows the same pattern of delayed finalization due to technical issues with ballot processing.
