A programming issue caused the widespread failure of ballot scanners in New York’s Westchester County, the New York State Board of Elections said in a statement Tuesday.
The issues, which made paper ballots incompatible with the ballot-scanning machines in question, were not surfaced during an initial round of testing, the board said.
The Board of Elections is working with Westchester County to deploy replacement machines using updated programming previously tested for early voting.
“The immediate priority is to restore scanning capability to at least one voting machine at every polling location, with additional machines being brought online as the day progresses,” the board said.
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Every vote will be counted, the board said.
The New York attorney general’s office is also monitoring the issue.
“Westchester voters can still safely fill out and turn in their ballots at their polling locations. Your votes will count,” state Attorney General Letitia James said on X.
Officials said none of the county’s machines were operable Tuesday morning. It is unknown when the machines will be back online. Officials had suggested they might have to hand-count ballots if the scanners couldn’t be fixed.
Several reports — including a statement from New York state Sen. Pete Harckham, a Democrat who represents parts of Westchester County — first attributed the issue to the thickness of certain ballot paper, but the Board of Elections said it had not encountered any similar concerns.
Westchester County is one of the most populous counties in the state and sits just outside of New York City. Polls show the race between Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who is running for reelection in the district that encompasses much of the county, and Democratic candidate Cait Conley is a toss-up.
Voters are being encouraged to remain in line and vote. Their ballots will be placed in orange emergency ballot bags that will remain secure and monitored, the county election board said.
“Let us be absolutely clear: Every eligible vote will be counted,” the board said, apologizing for the inconvenience posed by the issue.
“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.”
Lawler also confirmed an issue with the ballot scanners and encouraged voters to stay in line.
“We do not yet know the exact cause of the issue, whether it is the ballot or the machine,” Lawler said. “The Board of Elections is working with their vendors to resolve it.”
Some Republicans almost immediately suggested that the malfunction was part of a coordinated attack by Democrats to rig the midterm elections, an insinuation that follows President Donald Trump’s debunked claims of widespread voter fraud across the country.
“No surprise. The Democrats in NY will do anything and everything to cheat,” Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-New York), who serves as chair of the House Election Integrity Caucus, wrote on X.
Conservative commentator Laura Loomer, a Trump confidante, echoed Tenney’s remarks.
“Democrats are already trying to steal the election in New York today,” she wrote. “What are the odds the ballot machines in Westchester County aren’t working?”
She added: “Democrats only know how to cheat.”
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