Lawler Concedes New York 17th District Race to Conley

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler conceded New York’s 17th Congressional District race to Democrat Cait Conley on November 3, saying he expected to fall short once outstanding Westchester County ballots were counted. Conley was treated as the winner, but the official count and certification were not complete after the concession. The race was closely watched in the Hudson Valley district, which includes Rockland, Putnam and Westchester counties and parts of Dutchess County. Lawler announced his decision at an election-night gathering in Rockland County, after calling Conley to concede. He congratulated her and said the remaining Westchester votes would make his defeat clear. Ballot-scanning problems in Westchester delayed the count. The New York State Board of Elections attributed the machine issue to an update to the county’s election programming: one municipality used the updated programming for early voting, while other municipalities used the original version. The state board said the mismatch caused machines to reject Election Day ballots. Officials placed rejected ballots in secured emergency ballot bags, according to the account of the process. The state board said voting...