Westchester County Election Day: Scanners Fail, Voters Use Emergency Paper Ballots

Key points

• Scanners stopped accepting ballots at 6 a.m. across most Westchester County locations.
• Voters were instructed to fill out paper ballots and place them in secured orange emergency bags.
• County Executive Ken Jenkins and the Board of Elections did not identify the specific technical cause.
• The New York State Board of Elections confirmed that emergency procedures were in place and no voting was disrupted.
• Candidates Mike Lawler and Cait Conley urged voters to stay in line and cast ballots despite the technical issues.

Background

This incident occurs during the 2026 midterm elections, where control of Congress is at stake. Westchester County is a key battleground for New York’s 17th Congressional District. Recent archive coverage highlights ongoing national concerns regarding polling site reductions and touchscreen discrepancies in other states, such as Tarrant County and Bexar County, underscoring the sensitivity of voting infrastructure issues during high-stakes elections.

How outlets are covering it

CBS News and the Chicago Tribune (via Lohud) reported that the issue was undefined, with officials working with vendors to fix it. The New York Post emphasized the political stakes, noting that the 17th District race between Republican Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley is hotly contested. News12 Hudson Valley provided granular details, noting that ballots in orange bags would be counted first after polls close at 9 p.m. All sources agreed that the New York State Board of Elections and Attorney General Letitia James were monitoring the situation and assuring voters that their ballots would be counted. While some outlets focused on the technical failure, others highlighted the bipartisan response and the urgency for voter participation in a critical midterm election.

Why it matters

The failure of voting machines in a key congressional district during a competitive midterm election raises concerns about election infrastructure reliability. The use of emergency paper ballots could potentially delay the final count, though officials assured voters that all ballots would be securely counted. This incident highlights the vulnerability of electronic voting systems and the importance of contingency procedures in ensuring voter access and ballot integrity.

What to watch

Technicians are being sent to polling locations to resolve the scanner issues. The orange emergency ballot bags will be transported to the Board of Elections at the end of the night for counting. The final tally for the 17th Congressional District and other races in Westchester County may be delayed due to the manual counting process. Officials continue to monitor the situation and work with vendors to restore normal voting operations if possible.