Westchester Ballot Scanners Fail Countywide as NY-17 Goes to the Polls

Voting machines at most polling sites in Westchester County, New York, were not accepting ballots Tuesday morning, according to County Executive Ken Jenkins, as reported by CBS New York. The scanner problems began when polls opened at 6 a.m. on Election Day, CBS New York reported, and the county executive said there was no word on when the problem would be fixed.

The breakdown hits the heart of New York’s 17th Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Mike Lawler is defending his seat against Democratic challenger Cait Conley in one of the most closely watched House races in the country, according to ABC7 New York. ABC7 reported that the hand-counting process could delay results, particularly in the NY-17 race.

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. https://t.co/Zm1AerRzsM

— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) November 3, 2026

According to News 12 Westchester, which cited the county Board of Elections, poll workers have been told to check voters in and hand them paper ballots. Those ballots are being placed in orange bags while technicians work on the machines, News 12 reported. The bags will be sent to the Board of Elections at the end of the night and counted first, before ballots cast through the machines, according to News 12.

News 12 reported calls from several polling locations describing the same problem, including the Hendrick Hudson Free Library in Montrose, the Ukrainian Youth Center in Yonkers and the Hudson Museum. At Ridgeway Elementary School in White Plains, a caller described confusion among voters, with some uncomfortable leaving their ballots in bags and looking to vote elsewhere, News 12 reported.

ABC7 New York reported that voters are being offered affidavit ballots placed in the orange bags, or can return later in the day if the machines are working again. County officials told ABC7 that those ballots will be hand-counted by the Board of Elections after polls close.

Lawler: “Do not leave the polling place”

Lawler said the cause of the problem is not yet known, according to CBS New York. “The Board of Elections is working with their vendors to resolve it. However, every ballot will be counted. Stay on line and vote. Do not leave the polling place without voting,” Lawler wrote on social media, as quoted by CBS New York.

ABC7 New York reported that Lawler is voting in Pearl River, a location not believed to be affected, while Conley was expected to vote in Chappaqua.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a post on X that her office is monitoring the scanner issue and is in touch with the state and local Boards of Elections. “Westchester voters can still safely fill out and turn in their ballots at their polling locations. Your votes will count,” James wrote. CBS New York reported that the New York State Board of Elections is working with county officials to handle the situation.

Why it matters

Control of the U.S. House could come down to a handful of seats, and ABC7 New York identified NY-17 as one of the districts that could help decide whether Democrats regain the majority. A countywide equipment failure on Election Day in a toss-up district is exactly the kind of problem that erodes voter confidence, and it puts pressure on Westchester officials to deliver a transparent, accurate count of every bagged ballot.

As of Tuesday morning, officials had not publicly identified what caused the scanners to fail, and there was no estimate for when the machines would be back online, according to CBS New York. Daily Beltway will update this story as officials release more information.

Sources

• CBS New York
• News 12 Westchester
• ABC7 New York
• New York Attorney General Letitia James on X

Reporting by Daily Beltway.