Pelham Manor Police Verify Residency of 16 Voters Days Before Election

Detectives from the Pelham Manor Police Department visited the homes of 16 local voters on Friday, October 23.

The visits occurred 11 days before the general election and were requested by the Westchester County Board of Elections. The board acted after receiving 16 challenge affidavits filed by Mark Cardwell, a Democrat who lost the Pelham Manor mayoral race in 2025 and the trustee race in March 2024. According to Freedom of Information Law records, Cardwell claimed personal knowledge of each resident’s status under oath.

Under New York Election Law Section 5-702, the board must forward post-registration challenges to local police for investigation within five days. Cardwell’s filing forced detectives to leave their standard duties to verify living arrangements. Several affected voters told reporters they had never met or spoken to Cardwell prior to the police visit. None of the 16 individuals targeted in this specific instance are registered Democrats.

Critics point to the cost of this process in terms of departmental capacity. During his 2025 campaign, Cardwell described the police force as handicapped by stubborn safety problems and nuisance crimes. He argued that diverting highly compensated detectives to doorstep checks reduced the department’s ability to address primary public safety threats. The board and police stated they were simply executing statutory requirements, but the pattern has raised questions about resource allocation.

This is the second time in two years that similar tactics have been used in the village. In October 2024, armed officers from the Westchester County District Attorney’s office visited homes to investigate absentee ballots from the March 2024 election. That sweep included sitting Trustees Tim Case and Breda Bennett. In that case as well, none of the targeted individuals were registered Democrats. One resident described falling to her knees in tears upon seeing law enforcement at her door, initially fearing the visit related to a death in her family.

Legal experts note that New York law permits voters with dual residences to choose where they register. State precedents, including Ferguson v. McNab (1983) and Willkie v. Delaware County Board of Elections (2008), support the right of individuals with weekend homes or jobs away from home to maintain a primary registration. Physical daily presence is distinct from legal domicile under these statutes.

Earlier challenges in 2024 during the Board of Education election were filed by Katherine Pringle, Melissa Labonte, and Maura Curtin. These challengers submitted screenshots from social media platforms and minor league baseball statistics to argue against residents’ residency claims. Almost all challenged ballots in that cycle belonged to non-Democrats.

The village has a population of 5,500. The current investigation concludes with the police verifying the 16 residents before the November 11 holiday.