New York attorney general says office monitoring ballot scanning issue in Westchester

Voting machines across polling sites in Westchester County, N.Y., experienced widespread problems Tuesday after ballot scanners stopped accepting votes, according to state officials.

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) sought to reassure voters after the mishap. “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,” she wrote on the social platform X .

“Westchester voters can still safely fill out and turn in their ballots at their polling locations,” James continued. “Your votes will count.”

The problems began when polls opened at 6 a.m., affecting polling locations throughout the county, Westchester County executive Ken Jenkins confirmed.

In a statement Tuesday, the Westchester County Board of Elections said an issue involving paper ballots was preventing some machines from accepting ballots, though the precise cause of the malfunction remains unclear.

“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.

Officials instructed voters to continue filling out the papers, which will be placed in designated orange emergency ballot bags if they cannot be processed by the scanners. The ballots will be secured and counted later, they added.

The New York State Board of Elections also noted that the technical difficulties did not prevent residents from casting their ballots.

“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.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who is facing a competitive reelection bid in New York’s 17th Congressional District, said the problem appeared to affect every ballot scanner in the county.

“We do not yet know the exact cause of the issue, whether it is the ballot or the machine,” he said on X .

“The Board of Elections is working with their vendors to resolve it,” he added, urging voters to remain at their polling locations and cast their ballots.