NY election updates: Hochul wins, elections commissioners say results accurate

UPDATE:Elections commissioners: Despite computer problems, 'results are not in question'

UPDATE:Morelle re-elected to third term in Congress, Singletary concedes NY-25 race

Election results:Monroe and surrounding counties

Election Day 2022 in Rochester NY: Photos

Morelle holds significant lead over Singletary

Democrat Joe Morelle appeared early Wednesday morning to have fended off a challenge from Republican La'Ron Singletary for a third term representing Rochester in New York's 25th congressional district, according to unofficial returns.

Morelle had 53.5 percent compared to 46.5 percent for Singletary, a margin of over 20,000 votes, according to the state Board of Elections. Mishaps at the Monroe County Board of Elections made it impossible to say whether all votes had been counted.

Morelle was conciliatory in remarks early Wednesday morning, thanking Singletary for running and saying he hoped to work together with him and others.

"At the end of the day, we all want the same things: stability, security and opportunity," he said.

Noting the difficulties with the reporting of votes from the Monroe County Board of Elections, Singletary has not conceded and has called for an investigation.

"Congressional Candidate La’Ron Singletary, tonight has called for an investigation into unprecedented irregularities in our election process," a news release states. "Throughout the evening, several issues came into question regarding the validity of ballots and how they were accounted for and recorded. Until every ballot is accounted for and recorded appropriately, this congressional race is far from over."

Hochul holds off challenger in NY Governor race

Gov. Kathy Hochul held off a Republican challenger backed by party heavyweights eager to turn Andrew Cuomo’s downfall into victory in a reliably blue state, rallying downstate voters to become the first woman elected governor of New York.

With 61% of the vote counted, Hochul defeated Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Trump supporter and military veteran from Long Island who played on voter fears of random violence to cast Hochul as a soft-on-crime Democrat. Hochul garnered nearly 5%6 of the vote. NBC and ABC news outlets called the race for Hochul around 11:15 p.m. and Hochul's campaign headquarters in Manhattan displayed a screen saying she was the projected winner.

Monroe County Board of Elections: Result reporting delayed

The Board of Elections released the following statement on its website:

The Board of Elections is experiencing delays with uploading election returns to the election night reporting system. We recognize that our voters and candidates are eager to see the election returns and are working diligently to improve the speed of reporting. In addition to direct reporting, we have the capacity to produce PDF documents of results as they are tabulated and will begin to release those shortly. The PDF reports will be updated frequently throughout the night.

Polls have closed

The polls across New York State closed at 9 p.m. We will be updating the results as they become available and you can find them on our Monroe County election results page.

As of 10:30 p.m., partial vote totals have been reported in Ontario, Orleans and Livingston counties, but nothing in Monroe County.

Schumer reelected

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer was projected as winner of a fifth term representing New York when polls closed at 9 p.m. The 71-year-old Brooklyn native defeated Joe Pinion, who hosted a program on the conservative TV channel Newsmax and faced long odds in a state where Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans.

"It's deeply humbling as it is motivating," he said in a Manhattan speech following the result.

Voter turnout numbers released in Monroe County

According to the Monroe County Board of Elections, 190,789 voters cast their ballots Tuesday, as of 7:30 p.m. The figure is 39% of the 487,814 Monroe County residents registered to vote. The communities with the largest percentage turnout include Mendon (55%), Rush (55%) and Riga (58%).

Already, 55,211 people cast their ballots during the Early Voting period, which ran from Oct. 29 to Nov. 6.

Jump to: Who is on the ballot in my town?

When will election results in Rochester and Monroe County be available?

Polls across New York State close at 9 p.m., and local election officials will immediately begin collecting vote totals from 853 election districts at the more than 250 polling sites across Monroe County. Partial vote totals will be released shortly after the polls close, including ballots cast as part of the state's early voting process.

The Monroe County Board of Election updates vote totals for each candidate as they are received, a process that typically takes between 90 minutes and two hours after polls close.

Vote totals provided on election night are unofficial and do not include absentee ballots. The process for counting those ballots can take as much as a week, since those ballots can be postmarked by November 8.

New York state election law requires an automatic recount if the margin of victory is less than 20 votes or or less than 0.5% between candidates.

Early voting turnout across NY

About 1.2 million New Yorkers voted early, according to preliminary numbers from the state Board of Elections.

About 430,000 of those votes came from New York City residents - about 36% of the statewide early voting total.

At 5 p.m. Tuesday, it was still too early to speculate on Election Day voter turnout, a board of elections spokesperson said.

Hochul, Zeldin to spend election night in New York City

For months, gubernatorial candidates Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, and Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Republican, have been locked in a down-to-the-wire fight to lead New York as governor for the next four years.

Zeldin pointed to economic upheaval and rising crime in some areas as reasons for New Yorkers to trust new leadership and elect him governor. Hochul’s campaign was initially focused on government transparency and support for abortion, but she’s since pivoted to a more crime-focused message.

Mid-October polls showed Zeldin gaining on Hochul’s once commanding lead, and signaled the race could be the tightest battle for the governor’s seat in New York in decades.

Both candidates spent nearly all of Tuesday in New York City, visiting diners, senior centers and malls and holding eleventh hour get-out-the-vote events.

Both will remain in Manhattan at their respective watch parties as results roll in Tuesday night.

Polling hours in Rochester NY

Polls are open for regular voting from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Where do I vote in NY?

You can look up where to cast your ballot on Election Day at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov. According to the Monroe County Board of Elections, 55,211 people cast their ballots during the Early Voting period. That’s 11.3% of the 487,814 registered voters eligible to vote in Monroe County this fall, according to the BOE.

Who is on the ballot in New York, Rochester and Monroe County?

Here's a list of the candidates running in Rochester and the parties that endorsed them. Incumbents are noted with a diamond ("♦").

NY Governor

Kathy C. Hochul (Dem, WF)♦

Lee Zeldin (GOP, Con)

Debate replay: Watch full replay of the NY gubernatorial debate between Hochul, Zeldin

NY Lieutenant Governor

Antonio Delgado (Dem, WF)♦

Alison Esposito (GOP, Con)

NY Comptroller

Thomas P. DiNapoli (Dem, WF)♦

Paul Rodriguez (GOP, Con)

NY Attorney General

Letitia A. James (Dem, WF)♦

Michael Henry (GOP, Con)

US Senator

Charles E. Schumer (Dem, WF)♦

Joe Pinion (GOP, Con)

State Supreme Court Justice (2 seats)

Roman Misula (Dem)

Maroun Ajaka (Dem)

James A. Vazzana (GOP, Con)

Jason L. Cook (GOP, Con)

US House - 25th District

Joseph D. Morelle (Dem, WF)♦

La'Ron Singletary (GOP, Con)

More: Joe Morelle, La'Ron Singletary clash on guns, abortion in NY 25th District race

State Senate - 56th District

Jeremy A. Cooney (Dem, WF)♦

Jim Vanbrederode (GOP, Con, Ind)

State Senate - 55th District

Samra G. Brouk (Dem, WF)♦

Len Morrell (GOP, Con, Ind

Other local ballots: Monroe County | Brighton | Canandaigua | Chili | Clarkson | East Rochester | Fairport | Gates | Greece | Hamlin | Henrietta | Irondequoit | Mendon | Ogden | Parma | Penfield | Perinton | Pittsford | Riga | Rochester | Rush | Sweden | Victor | Webster | Wheatland

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Election Day 2022 in Monroe County NY: Hochul, Morelle win