THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2010. By John F. Bailey and Peter Katz. November 3, 2010 UPDATED 4 P.M.:

 

 In an exclusive interview with WPCNR reporters this afternoon, Westchester County Board of Elections Commssioners Reginald LaFayette and Douglas Colety called for an end to the new paper ballot/optical scanning system introduced two months ago and receiving its first big election test yesterday. 

 

Commissioners Reginald LaFayette left, and Douglas Colety said they would testify to the state legislature  the paper ballot system approved by the state and processing its first general election in the county yesterday  created too many voter-triggered problems by the filling out  and scanning of paper ballots.

 

The new optical scanner machines were purchased by the county at a cost of $4 Million (partially bonded) in 2006, according to the 2010 county budget http://www.westchestergov.com/pdfs/BUDGET_2010AdoptedCapital_sectionC1a.pdf

 

Lafayette said he was always against the paper ballot system and was in favor of a touch-screen system from the start. Colety said the technology is out there now allowing voters to touch a screen to register their ballot with the machine generating the “paper trail” automatically. Colety said New Jersey uses a touch-screen system.

 

Lafayette confirmed that many optical scanners used throughout the county for the first time in a general election jammed multiple times, resulting in election workers providing emergency ballots to voters while the machines awaited one of the fifteen county technicians to arrive and clear the machines. Lafayette explained that election workers are not allowed to unjam the machines themselves for security reasons.

 

 

Jams, Lafayette said to Peter Katz, left, were caused in some cases by paper ballots being “too long” and other ballots  being placed into the ballot reception slot by the voter in a manner that resulted in “jams.” He said some of the problems in scanning occurred because voters mismarked ballots, the marker pens bled through the paper stock used for the ballots — especially affecting Yonkers votes which had propositions on the flip side of the ballot.

 

Election materials being brought to the Board of Elections Wednesday afternoon.

 

On the day after the November 3 election, Lafayette said the Board of Elections had impounded all machines, as standard procedure, including those in unreporting districts still outstanding in the hotly contested races for Assembly District 89 between incumbent Assemblyman Robert Castelli and Thomas Roach,Jr. of White Plains, and the epic race between Robert Cohen and State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer.  Lafayette said results might still be posted this evening in those races, depending on when “reports” are received. Presently all voting machines including ballots and emergency ballots were being impounded.

 

LaFayette said that the Board of Elections is prepared to respond appropriately and handle any court orders that attorneys for candidates may get in disputed contests.

 

LaFayette said that they did not necessarily have to recount ballots by hand. He said a properly operating  optical scanner  could be used to automate the recount process which would be conducted under appropriate observation.

 

THE ELECTION ACTION AS OF 4 P.M.

 

Mr. LaFayette said he felt the pace of election returns reporting Tuesday evening was consistent with the past, saying it may have seemed slow due to persons in the media and who were eager for the results being impatient because the races were so close.

 

Meanwhile, the voter totals in the “too close to call” Assembly District 89 Race, and the Senate District 37 race have not changed as 3:45 P.M. Mr. Castelli leads Mr. Roach by 318 votes with 91 of 110 election districts reporting, 16,752 to 16,434.

 

In the even closer race in State Senate District 37, Suzi Oppenheimer leads Robert Cohen by 180 votes, 33,272 to 33,092 with 54 election districts not reporting (20% of the districts unreported at this time.

 

In other intriguing races,  Nan Hayward running against John Hall for the 19th Congressional District is trailing Mr. Hall on the Board of Elections results site, but Dr. Hayward claimed victory last night according to the Gannett chain, last night. Hall leads Hayward 24,941 to 22,325 with 23 Election Districts uncounted.

 

Michael Kaplowitz in the 40th NY Senate District leads Greg Ball 24,346 to 22,235, a 2,111 vote lead; Andrea Stewart-Cousins has a 5,000 vote lead in Senate District 35 over Liam McLaughlin, but only 70% of the districts there 295 of 419 have been counted.

 

WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2010 By John F. Bailey. November 3, 2010 UPDATED  10:57 A.M. E.D.T.:

Westchester County’s new optical scanning voting machines failed big time in the two most important races to White Plains on Election Day.

Sources say that results of the Castelli-Roach race and Oppeneheimer-Cohen race will not be known for 1 to 2 weeks and that the Board of Elections does not have an immediate handle on what districts have not reported.

37TH SENATE DISTRICT AND 89TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT VOTE COUNTS COULD NOT BE COMPLETED TUESDAY EVENING DUE TO WIDESPREAD PROBLEMS WITH THE OPTICAL SCANNERS READING BALLOTS, SO A HAND COUNT HAS BEEN ORDERED FOR THE REMAINING 19 Election Districts in THE 89TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT.

At 1:30 Wednesday morning, Robert Castelli, incumbent Assemblyman in the 89th District told WPCNR that machines from 19 Election Districts in the 89th District had been impounded due to malfunction of the scanners. He said ballots within those machines would have to be hand-counted, starting, he thought tomorrow to determine the eventual winner in his race with White Plains Common Councilman, Tom Roach.

As of 1:30 A.M. when returns stopped coming in, Mr. Castelli led Mr. Roach by 318 votes, 16,752 to 16,434 in an amazing race with four lead-changes over three hours.

Mr. Castelli had taken command of the race between midnight and 1 A.M. as he had told a WPCNR contact at his headquarters at the Crowne Plaza he thought he would, because his strength in Harrison started to come through. Then with 19 Election Districts to be reported, and Mr. Castelli pulling away, the counting stopped.

Castelli said the machines from what he understands are very sensitive to how the paper ballots are marked and circles filled-in. It was his understanding that many ballots had not been counted by the machines. “The machines, some in Harrison, some in White Plains, and some up in my neck of the woods, have all been impounded.”  Asked if he had any idea why the counts had taken so long to come in, when the machine presents an electronic readout, Castelli said he did not.

Castelli also told WPCNR that the 37th State Senate District featuring an equally amazing race between incumbent Suzi Oppenheimer and Republican Challenger Robert Cohen had also had counts suspended for the same reason, but with many more election districts still out.

Ms. Oppenheimer after trailing through the first three hours by as much as 1,000 votes caught up with Cohen and surpassed his totals with 54 Election Districts remaining. Oppenheimer as of 1:30 A.M. leads Mr. Cohen, by just 180 votes, 33,272 to 33,092.  Castelli told WPCNR that many of the districts in the 37th Senate Race matched the districts in question in the 89th district where machines malfunctioned in registering the ballots. Mr. Castelli said he has had no explanation from the Board of Elections or any officials as to why the counts were so slow in coming in.

By WPCNR recollection, only half the districts in the Castelli race were totaled by 11:30 P.M., compared to complete counts  that were in by midnight when mechanical lever voting machines were used.

Castelli said he was in a “virtual dead heat” with Mr. Roach with the 19 districts left to be hand-counted beginning he thought sometime today. Castelli also said there were “hundreds” of absentee ballots.

The 33,186 votes in the 89th Assembly Race is, WPCNR believes is a record for votes cast in this district, and certainly the highest amount in the decade WPCNR has been covering this district. The 37th Senate District race so far with 54 districts left to count has seen 66,364 votes cast.

In other races, Amy Paulin appears to have won the 88th Assembly District easily, but her election dricts are not complete, either.

Andrew Cuomo won the Governorship, and Senator Charles Schumer won election to another term in the Senate, and Kirsten Gillebrand won to serve the remaining two years of Hillary Clinton’s Senate Term. Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel won reelection to the House of Representatives.