Ballot scanners glitch in N.Y., officials say ballots are safe

Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Voting machines at polling sites in Westchester County, N.Y., had glitches Tuesday when the ballot scanners stopped accepting votes, state officials reported.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, said voters can still safely vote at their usual precincts.

"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," James posted on X . "Westchester voters can still safely fill out and turn in their ballots at their polling locations. Your votes will count."

The issues began when the polls opened at 6 a.m., Westchester County executive Ken Jenkins told The Hill.

"While technical issues can be frustrating, contingency procedures exist for precisely these circumstances," Kathleen R. McGrath, a spokesperson for the New York State Board of Elections, said in a statement . "Bipartisan election officials are diligently working to ensure every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast their ballot."

The county's board of elections said the exact cause of the malfunction is unclear but it affected every ballot scanner in the county.

"The Westchester Board of Elections wants to reassure every voter that your vote matters, your ballot will be secure, and your vote will be counted," the board said.

Voters should continue to fill out their paper ballots, which will be placed into orange emergency ballot bags, secured and counted later.

Minor issues with voting machines are not uncommon.

"Long-established emergency ballot procedures have been implemented, where completed ballots are secured, under bipartisan control, and will be counted," the state board said in a statement.

Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who represents the area, reminded people to stay and vote.

"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 said. "However, every ballot will be counted. Stay on line and vote. Do not leave the polling place without voting."

Lawler's competitive opponent Cait Conley also told voters on X to cast their votes.

"Don't worry: you can still vote and every vote is being counted! 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. The Polls are open and operational, and every vote cast will be counted. Please stay in line and have your voice heard as they work to resolve the issue."

Derek Tisler, a lawyer with the Brennan Center who specializes in election administration and security, told The New York Times that while the situation in Westchester County appeared to be more widespread than typical glitches, it was still "well within the world of possibilities that election officials plan for."

As word of the glitch made the rounds, conspiracy theorists began spreading unfounded claims.

Posts mentioning the words "cheat," "steal," "rig" and the like boosted to more than 100 per minute in the earlier part of the day, according to analysis of data from TweetBinder by Audisense, The New York Times reported .

"In some places, these real issues -- and the proposed remedies -- are getting picked up with conspiratorial framing that falsely suggests that the malfunctions are intentional," Kate Starbird, a disinformation researcher and co-founder of the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public, posted on on Bluesky .

"No surprise," said Claudia Tenney, Republican representative for New York's 24th Congressional District, posted on X . "The Democrats in NY will do anything and everything to cheat."

But Westchester County is a heavily Democratic district, and errors in voting are more likely to help Republicans in that area, The Times reported.

Broward County, Fla., also had glitches in voting machines Tuesday morning. Local media reported that some voters were turned away. Broward is also a Democratic-leaning county.

New York's polling stations are open until 9 p.m. EST.