Ballot Scanners Fail Across Westchester County as Voters Told to Stay in Line
Ballot scanners at polling places across Westchester County, New York, stopped accepting ballots when polls opened Tuesday morning, disrupting Election Day voting in one of the nation’s most closely watched House districts.
The trouble began at 6 a.m., according to CBS New York, and county officials did not immediately explain what had gone wrong or say when the machines would be working again.
Poll workers are telling voters to fill out paper ballots as usual. Ballots the scanners will not take are being placed in orange emergency ballot bags to be counted later, the Westchester County Board of Elections said.
The board first said the thickness of the paper ballots was causing the problem, WABC-TV reported. FOX 5 New York later reported that the county issued a correction, and the board’s updated statement describes only “an issue involving paper ballots.”
“Every eligible vote will be counted. No voter should be discouraged from participating in this election because of this issue,” the board said, adding that the emergency bags “will remain secure and monitored.”
The board also apologized to voters and poll workers for the inconvenience and said it was in constant contact with state officials, county government and poll workers.
The New York State Board of Elections said there was no disruption to voting. Its statement said ballots cast under the emergency procedures are “secured, under bipartisan control, and will be counted.”
Both NY-17 candidates urge voters to wait
The breakdown hit the heart of New York’s 17th Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Mike Lawler faces Democratic challenger Cait Conley. The district covers most of northern Westchester and is a key battleground in the fight for the House.
Lawler posted on X less than 90 minutes after polls opened that there were problems with “every ballot scanner in Westchester County.” He said officials did not yet know whether the ballots or the machines were at fault.
“The Board of Elections is working with their vendors to resolve it. However, every ballot will be counted. Stay on line and vote. Do not leave the polling place without voting,” Lawler wrote.
Conley also urged residents to stay. “Don’t be dissuaded and have your voice heard. The issue is being worked on diligently by the Board of Elections in a bipartisan manner,” she wrote, Daily Voice reported.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office is monitoring the problem and is in touch with state and local election boards.
“Westchester voters can still safely fill out and turn in their ballots at their polling locations. Your votes will count,” she wrote.
Local towns, including North Salem, sent alerts to residents warning that the scanners were rejecting ballots. They advised voters to keep casting their ballots while technicians worked on the problem.
Westchester is also one of the places where federal monitors are watching the vote. The Justice Department said it is sending about 1,000 monitors and observers to all 50 states for the first time.
As of about 9:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, officials had not said the scanners were fixed. Polls in New York close at 9 p.m. ET, and the emergency-bag ballots will be counted under state election procedures.
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