By — Ryan Foley, Associated Press Ryan Foley, Associated Press By — Michael Biesecker, Associated Press Michael Biesecker, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/vote-scanning-machine-malfunction-expected-to-delay-counting-in-new-yorks-westchester-county Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Vote-scanning machine malfunction expected to delay counting in New York's Westchester County Politics Nov 3, 2026 11:03 PM EST 2026 ELECTION COVERAGE: Watch Live | Poll Closing Times | All Live Results | Live Updates | Live Fact Check A judge has granted permission for elections officials in a major New York county to move thousands of paper ballots to a secure warehouse after a technical problem caused vote-scanning machines to malfunction. The issue was expected to delay the counting of votes in a competitive congressional district until at least Wednesday. The New York Board of Elections said machines at locations throughout Westchester County would not accept paper ballots when polls opened Tuesday because of a programming glitch. Elections officials said the problem happened when they made a software update for one municipal contest after the machines had been prepared and tested. Machines in the other municipalities continued to use the original software and therefore would not recognize the ballots. Stand with free and independent journalism. Join Press Pass from PBS News Voters were instructed to put completed ballots in bags that would be safeguarded to be processed later. The bags were to be transported under police escort to a county warehouse to be scanned and counted under the supervision of representatives of political parties, election officials said. Westchester County is considered the more liberal-leaning part of New York's 17th Congressional District, which features a competitive race between GOP Rep. Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley. Lawler and Conley implored residents to cast their ballots despite the problem and stressed that all votes would be counted. Lawler said the situation had caused "a lot of frustration, delays, lines and a lot of questions." But he added at a news conference: "I want to be clear. There's no shenanigans going on here." Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Westchester resident Toni Chrystal said she felt "uneasy" after casting her vote Tuesday morning amid the ballot issues. The real estate broker from White Plains said she completed her ballot around 7 a.m. and then dropped it into one of the designated ballot bags at her polling location as instructed. "Westchester is one of the richest counties in the state. How does this happen?" she said. "How come they weren't tested yesterday or a week before? Early voting worked. How does it not work now?" Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre and Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Ryan Foley, Associated Press Ryan Foley, Associated Press By — Michael Biesecker, Associated Press Michael Biesecker, Associated Press
2026 ELECTION COVERAGE: Watch Live | Poll Closing Times | All Live Results | Live Updates | Live Fact Check A judge has granted permission for elections officials in a major New York county to move thousands of paper ballots to a secure warehouse after a technical problem caused vote-scanning machines to malfunction. The issue was expected to delay the counting of votes in a competitive congressional district until at least Wednesday. The New York Board of Elections said machines at locations throughout Westchester County would not accept paper ballots when polls opened Tuesday because of a programming glitch. Elections officials said the problem happened when they made a software update for one municipal contest after the machines had been prepared and tested. Machines in the other municipalities continued to use the original software and therefore would not recognize the ballots. Stand with free and independent journalism. Join Press Pass from PBS News Voters were instructed to put completed ballots in bags that would be safeguarded to be processed later. The bags were to be transported under police escort to a county warehouse to be scanned and counted under the supervision of representatives of political parties, election officials said. Westchester County is considered the more liberal-leaning part of New York's 17th Congressional District, which features a competitive race between GOP Rep. Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley. Lawler and Conley implored residents to cast their ballots despite the problem and stressed that all votes would be counted. Lawler said the situation had caused "a lot of frustration, delays, lines and a lot of questions." But he added at a news conference: "I want to be clear. There's no shenanigans going on here." Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Westchester resident Toni Chrystal said she felt "uneasy" after casting her vote Tuesday morning amid the ballot issues. The real estate broker from White Plains said she completed her ballot around 7 a.m. and then dropped it into one of the designated ballot bags at her polling location as instructed. "Westchester is one of the richest counties in the state. How does this happen?" she said. "How come they weren't tested yesterday or a week before? Early voting worked. How does it not work now?" Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre and Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now