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Con Edison Generators Powering Briarcliff Polls

BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y. – Voters at Briarcliff Congregational Church and the Briarcliff Manor Youth Center experienced some “hiccups” early Tuesday and had to cast ballots manually, said voting officials.

Con Edison employees work to power a generator outside of the Briarcliff Manor Youth Center Tuesday evening.

Con Edison employees work to power a generator outside of the Briarcliff Manor Youth Center Tuesday evening.

Photo Credit: Nathan Bruttell

Con Edison workers powered up generators outside of the polling places at around 11 a.m. Tuesday but dozens of voters said they had to vote by hand Tuesday morning. When the first voters showed up at the Youth Center Tuesday morning, they were sent to the St. Theresa School instead to cast their ballots, according to earlier reports. When voters got to St. Theresa’s, however, there were no voting machines and school personnel had no information about voting, said Briarcliff resident Susan Strawgate Code, who voted at the Youth Center.

“Earlier today people weren’t able vote at first because we didn’t have lights or power so we had to use written ballots,” said Celiane Silverstein, a Briarcliff Manor poll worker at Briarcliff Congregational Church. “We put those in a secure box to be scanned later. At 11 a.m. we got generators to power up our machines and people were able to vote normally. Since then things ran smoothly.”

Election officials at the Youth Center said Con Edison employees were working on restoring power to the building Tuesday evening. Generators powered voting machines but the building had no heat or power at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The two complications were the only problems experienced in Ossining and Briarcliff Manor Tuesday, said Ossining Town/Village Clerk Mary Ann Roberts.

“Those were the only hiccups we had today. Everyone else was doing fine,” Roberts said, adding that she didn’t expect any voting turnout records to be broken this election. “I don’t think in terms of people coming out that we’ve seen anything out of the ordinary. I think we’re doing about what we expected.”

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