Election Day voting was thrown into chaos across New York’s Westchester County on Tuesday after ballot scanners began rejecting paper ballots, forcing election officials to collect votes in emergency bags while technicians scrambled to fix the problem.
The countywide malfunction struck one of New York’s most politically significant areas, including communities voting in the closely watched congressional race between Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger Cait Conley.
The Westchester County Board of Elections acknowledged the widespread problem Tuesday morning, confirming that voting machines were failing to process ballots at polling locations throughout the county.
“The Westchester County Board of Elections (BOE) is aware of an issue involving the paper ballots that is preventing some voting machines from accepting ballots at polling locations throughout the County,” officials announced.
The failure raised immediate concerns about how ballots would be handled, with voters instructed to place completed paper ballots into designated orange emergency bags rather than feed them through scanners.
“Voters should continue to complete their paper ballots as instructed by poll workers. Ballots that cannot be processed by voting machines will be placed in designated orange emergency ballot bags, which will remain secure and monitored. These ballots will subsequently be counted,” the board said.
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler was among the first elected officials to publicly sound the alarm.
“There is a problem with every ballot scanner in Westchester County. We do not yet know the exact cause of the issue, whether it is the ballot or the machine. The Board of Elections is working with their vendors to resolve it,” Lawler wrote on X.
Gov. Hochul Addresses Voting Machine Problems in Westchester https://t.co/E8TerTwO3R
— New York Post (@nypost) November 3, 2026
The congressman urged residents not to abandon their polling locations.
“However, every ballot will be counted. Stay on line and vote. Do not leave the polling place without voting,” he added.
Speaking to CNN outside a polling location in Pearl River, Lawler pointed to a possible explanation involving the thickness of the paper ballots and the machines’ settings.
“There was an issue with the thickness of the ballot and the formatting of the machines. And so none of the machines were accepting the ballot across the entire county,” Lawler explained.
The Board of Elections initially identified ballot thickness as a factor, although subsequent public statements removed that explanation as officials continued investigating the precise cause.
Lawler emphasized that emergency procedures were available to ensure voters could still participate.
“As is often the case, when there’s an emergency, they take the ballot, and they put it in an emergency voting bag. Every ballot will be counted. And everybody should be rest assured that their vote will count. They should wait on line. I know the lines may be impacted a little bit. With some delays, but do not leave the line. Make sure you vote. Your vote will be counted. The machines are being fixed,” he said.
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins also condemned the widespread equipment failure, calling the situation “unacceptable.”
Jenkins said county officials, including representatives from the Law Department, were monitoring the election to ensure ballots were properly handled.
He also pledged to convene a bipartisan investigation into the breakdown once the immediate problems were addressed.
“Westchester County voters deserve a fair, secure and seamless election process. Today, we have fallen short of that standard. The voters deserve better, and I intend to make sure they get it,” Jenkins said.
For some residents, assurances from election officials did little to ease concerns about placing their votes into emergency bags.
Linda Giaimo, who accompanied a friend to vote, expressed frustration with the countywide disruption.
“It’s all through Westchester County, that all these machines are down. So now we’ve got to put our vote in a bag and believe that that bag is going to be delivered. I got a problem with this,” Giaimo told Fox News.
Another voter, Patrick Reagan, said he hoped election officials would properly account for every ballot.
“I hope all the votes are going to be corrected properly and accounted for. And, you know, it’s a big year for everybody just voting. You know, we need to keep the country safe and good. And I hope, it’s going to turn out the way I wanted to,” Reagan said.
New York Attorney General Letitia James confirmed that her office was monitoring the situation and communicating with election officials.
“My office is monitoring this issue with scanners in Westchester and is in touch with the state and local Boards of Elections as they work on a solution. Westchester voters can still safely fill out and turn in their ballots at their polling locations. Your votes will count,” James wrote on X.
The disruption could complicate ballot processing in New York’s 17th Congressional District, where Lawler is defending his seat against Conley in a competitive House contest.
Election officials have not reported evidence of deliberate interference or ballot tampering. The immediate concern remains the mechanical failure and the procedures needed to securely count affected ballots.
The Westchester County Board of Elections apologized for the disruption and repeatedly urged residents to remain at their polling places.
“Let us be absolutely clear: Every eligible vote will be counted. No voter should be discouraged from participating in this election because of this issue. Your voice matters. Your vote matters. Please stay in line and vote,” officials said.
New York polling locations are scheduled to close at 9 p.m. Tuesday, with election workers continuing to address the scanner problems as voting proceeds.
For now, officials say ballots deposited in the secured emergency bags will be counted, although the widespread malfunction could delay the reporting of results in a congressional district drawing national attention.
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