FINAL UPDATE: 11:30 AM NOV. 4

As the nation, the county and the city swooned from the impact of the unexpected blue wave, the problem of the Westchester County election count seemed to fall off the radar — Mike Lawler’s early concession to Cait Conley took off a good deal of the heat.  Presumably counting is now going on at a location in White Plains — some reports put the counting location in Greenburgh. The ballot bags had reportedly been taken there last night after 9 pm, under the supervision of observers from both major political parties and the police. The last official update from the board of elections was at 1:10:53 am Nov. 4:

UNOFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS

Please be advised that these results do not include a significant number of unscanned Emergency Election Day ballots. Accordingly, the results are incomplete and are subject to change as additional ballots are scanned and tabulated.

These results are unofficial and should not be considered final or certified.

UPDATE 3:05 PM

The glitch causing the voting machine malfunction is being caused by an incorrectly printed bar code on the election ballots, County Executive Ken Jenkins said in a press conference. “It was just a straight error in the bar coding of it,” he said. Election technicians are going to polling places to reprogram “emergency” ballot scanners already in place, with the goal of having at least one functioning scanner in each place. But the ballots cast before the machines are fixed will be counted as “emergency ballots,” and won’t be counted until after the polls close at 9pm, Jenkins said.

He estimated the number of uncounted ballots could be as high as 250,000. He indicated that the ballots will be taken to a “centralized location” to be counted — not by hand, but by properly configured scanning devices.

UPDATE: 2:03 PM

The state board of elections issued a statement attributing the countywide voting machine failure to a programming mistake. “The issue affecting voting machines throughout Westchester County today resulted from an update to the county’s election programming that occurred after the initial preparation and testing of Election Day voting equipment,” the statement said. “A change affecting a contest in one municipality required updated election programming, which was subsequently tested and deployed for early voting and for Election Day machines in that muncipality. However, Election Day machines elsewhere in the county continued to use the original programming and therefore could not recognize and accept the ballots being used for Election Day.”

 UPDATE 8:45 A.M. BREAKDOWN IMPACTS 40% OF VOTERS IN NY-17 SWING DISTRICT RACE

The countywide breakdown impacts the closely watched congressional contest between Republican incumbent Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger Cait Conley in a swing district where polls suggest the contest is a a dead heat. About 40 percent of the voters in NY-17 lives in Westchester. The district also includes Rockland and parts of Putnam.

UPATE 8:35 A.M..

Full statement from board of elections:

The Westchester County Board of Elections (BOE) is aware of an issue involving the thickness of [the county later retracted the reference to “thickness”] paper ballots that is preventing voting machines from accepting ballots at polling locations throughout the County.  The Westchester Board of Elections wants to reassure every voter that your vote matters, your ballot will be secure and your vote will be counted.

The Board of Elections is in constant communication with New York State officials, Westchester County Government and poll workers to address this issue and ensure that voting continues with as little disruption as possible. In the meantime, voters should continue to complete their paper ballots as instructed by poll workers. Ballots will be placed in designated orange emergency ballot bags, which will remain secure and monitored. These ballots will subsequently be counted in accordance with applicable election procedures.

We strongly encourage all voters to remain in line, exercise patience and, most importantly, cast their ballots.

The BOE sincerely apologizes to voters and poll workers for the inconvenience this situation has caused, and the BOE recognizes the importance of a smooth and efficient voting process. They are taking every necessary step to address the issue as quickly as possible.

Let us be absolutely clear: Every eligible vote will be counted. No voter should be discouraged from participating in this election because of this issue. Your voice matters. Your vote matters. Please stay in line and vote.

Breaking Story. Voting machines throughout the county have malfunctioned, forcing polling places to collect paper ballots and place them in bags for later tallying, according to eyewitness account, reports on social media and early reports from TV news.

At 8:15 a.m., the Board of Elections issued a statement: the board “is aware of an issue involving the thickness of paper ballots that is preventing voting machines from accepting ballots at polling locations throughout the County,” the statement said. The statement encouraged voters to continue to vote, reassuring them that all votes will be counted.

At Hostos elementary schools in Southwest Yonkers, poll watchers confirmed that the machines have failed. Reports from a polling place at another nearby school confirmed that the issue is not limited to a single school. “I did first place my ballot in the machine,” the voter said. “The machine took it in and then sent it right back.”