Ballot scanners stopped accepting paper ballots at polling places across Westchester County, New York, on Tuesday morning, forcing election workers to switch to emergency-ballot procedures on US midterm election day.
The Westchester County Board of Elections said it was aware of an issue involving paper ballots that prevented voting machines from accepting ballots at polling locations throughout the county. Voting itself continued: voters completed their paper ballots and followed poll workers’ directions, with ballots that could not be scanned placed in designated orange emergency ballot bags.
What officials say will happen to the ballots
The county said the ballots in the emergency bags would remain secure and monitored and would be counted under applicable election procedures. The New York State Board of Elections said completed ballots were being secured under bipartisan control and would be counted, and that there was no disruption to voting because emergency-ballot procedures had been implemented.
State board spokesperson Kathleen McGrath said her office was in constant contact with the county board and reassured voters that their vote is secure. “Long-established emergency ballot procedures have been implemented, where completed ballots are secured, under bipartisan control, and will be counted,” the state board said.
Cause not yet identified
Officials did not immediately identify the precise cause of the problem. The county board said it was in contact with state officials, county government and poll workers as it worked to address the problem, and was working with vendors to determine whether the fault lay with the ballots or the machines.
Voters described scanners repeatedly rejecting ballots from the moment polls opened at 6 a.m. Brad Kennedy, 37, of Croton-on-Hudson, said he was the first voter at his polling place when it opened and that the scanner rejected his ballot even after he turned it over and tried again. Poll workers told him the problem was widespread and that ballots would go into a secured orange bag. Elizabeth Belanger, 54, of Sleepy Hollow, said she voted at 7:15 a.m. even though machines were already having trouble with the paper ballots.
No extension of voting hours indicated so far
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said on Tuesday that the county Board of Elections had not indicated it would need to extend the time polling sites stay open, because voters were still able to cast their ballots without machines. “When you go to your polling place, you still get your ballot and you fill that ballot out. When you would go to the machine and you would put it into the scanner, that part is not working the same right now,” Jenkins said.
Representative Mike Lawler, who is seeking re-election in New York’s 17th Congressional District, confirmed the voting machine issue on Tuesday morning and said officials did not yet know the exact cause. His Democratic challenger, Cait Conley, said there were technical issues with ballot scanners in Westchester but urged voters not to be dissuaded, saying every vote was being counted. USA TODAY described Westchester as a key part of the 17th District, one of the most competitive races in the country.
What is still unknown
It was not immediately clear whether the scanner problems would delay the vote count after polls close at 9 p.m. ET, and officials had not given a definitive restoration time in the reports reviewed. New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office was monitoring the issue and was in touch with the state and local boards of elections.
What is clear from the official statements is narrower: voting continued through the day, paper ballots were secured rather than discarded, and officials say every eligible vote will be counted. No official has alleged fraud or any other cause, and none is claimed here.
Why it matters
Election-day equipment failures matter most in close races, because even a short disruption can feed confusion at polling places and slow the count. In Westchester, the emergency procedure exists precisely for this situation: a paper ballot that cannot be scanned on the spot is still a ballot, secured under bipartisan control for later counting. Voters who were told to come back later or to use an envelope were being offered the same fallback in different forms.
Frequently asked questions
Are votes in Westchester County lost because the scanners failed?
No, according to election officials. Ballots that could not be scanned were placed in secure orange emergency ballot bags or envelopes, and officials say they will be counted under applicable election procedures.
What caused the Westchester scanner problem?
Officials had not identified a precise cause in the reports reviewed on Tuesday. The county board said it was working with state officials and vendors to determine whether the ballots or the machines were at fault.
Will polling places stay open later in Westchester?
County Executive Ken Jenkins said on Tuesday that the Board of Elections had not indicated a need to extend voting hours, because voters could still cast paper ballots. Any change to hours would be a Board of Elections decision.
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Sources
- lohud (USA Today Network), “New York election 2026: Live updates, voting and key races” — https://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/11/03/new-york-election-results-2026-live-updates–live/92562728007/
- USA TODAY, “Control of Congress up for grabs on Election Day 2026: Live updates” — https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/11/03/midterm-elections-results-updates-2026–live/91892413007/
