Westchester Ballot Scanners Down on Election Day as Voters Use Orange Bags

Westchester County, New York — Ballot scanners failed across Westchester County on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, forcing polling places to use emergency paper-ballot procedures while officials assured voters that every eligible vote will still be counted. The countywide problem began when polls opened at 6 a.m. and was still affecting sites after 8 a.m. Instead of feeding a completed paper ballot into a scanner, voters handed ballots to poll workers, who sealed them in secure orange emergency bags under bipartisan control for counting later.

Key Points

• Ballot scanners failed countywide in Westchester County from the 6 a.m. opening of polls on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and were still down after 8 a.m.
• Voters kept casting paper ballots, sealed in secure orange emergency bags under bipartisan control for later counting.
• The county Board of Elections confirmed the issue at about 7:30 a.m.; the final cause was not yet known, with software problems and misprinted ballots among suspected causes.
• New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office is monitoring the issue and that Westchester voters can still safely turn in ballots.
• Polls in Westchester are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and both candidates in the competitive NY-17 race urged voters to stay and vote.

What Happened

Reports began almost as soon as voting started. Poll workers in New Castle and other towns said scanners were not accepting ballots from the moment polls opened. In some places machines took ballots in and then rejected them. By mid-morning, reports from Montrose, Yonkers, White Plains, Rye and other communities described the same experience: a polling place open for voting, but with its scanners out of service.

The Westchester County Board of Elections confirmed the countywide technical issue at about 7:30 a.m., said technicians would be sent to affected polling places, and stressed that voting was continuing. According to local reporting, ballots collected in the orange bags are to be delivered to the Board of Elections at the end of the night and counted first, before ballots that went through machines. A poll worker in New Castle told USA TODAY she had been instructed to have voters put ballots in a secure envelope so they could be hand-counted if the machines did not return. Elizabeth Belanger, 54, of Sleepy Hollow, said poll workers in her town told voters they could either return later or put the ballot in an envelope.

Background/Context

Westchester County uses paper ballots that voters mark and then feed into a scanner, which reads and tabulates the votes. That paper record is central to how New York handles a scanner failure: when a machine cannot read a ballot, the ballot itself is not lost. It is preserved, sealed and counted through a separate process, and bipartisan teams of poll workers are trained to use the emergency bags. The failure also matters because much of northern Westchester, and a sliver of the south, lies in New York's 17th Congressional District, where Republican Representative Mike Lawler faces Democratic challenger Cait Conley in one of the closest House races in the country.

Westchester Ballot Scanners: What Officials Know So Far

As of late Tuesday morning, officials had not given a final explanation, and no time had been given for a fix. Early explanations shifted: the county board first blamed the thickness of the paper ballots, then issued a correction and now describes an issue involving paper ballots. County Executive Ken Jenkins did not say exactly what was wrong. Representative Lawler wrote that it was not yet known whether it is the ballot or the machine, and that the Board of Elections was working with its vendors to resolve it. Local reporting added software problems and misprinted ballots as suspected causes, while an early suggestion of connectivity issues now does not appear to fit the evidence.

Reactions/Quotes

New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office is monitoring the issue and is in contact with state and local election boards. "Westchester voters can still safely fill out and turn in their ballots at their polling locations. Your votes will count," James said in a post on X.

Representative Mike Lawler posted early Tuesday morning: "There is a problem with every ballot scanner in Westchester County. 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. However, every ballot will be counted. Stay on line and vote. Do not leave the polling place without voting."

His challenger, Cait Conley, said: "There are technical issues with ballot scanners in Westchester, but don't worry: you can still vote and every vote is being counted! Don't be dissuaded and have your voice heard."

Why It Matters

A scanner failure does not automatically change an election result, but it can change how voters experience Election Day. Long lines, confusion about envelopes and bags, and shifting early explanations can discourage voters. The incident also tests a principle election administrators repeat every cycle: the paper ballot is the vote, and the scanner is only the counting tool. If paper ballots are preserved, sealed under bipartisan observation and counted under established procedures, a machine failure becomes a delay and a logistical challenge rather than a loss of votes.

What Happens Next

Polls in Westchester County remain open until 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Voters who have not yet voted should go to their assigned polling place, complete a paper ballot and follow poll workers' instructions if the scanner is still down. At the close of polls, the emergency bags are to be delivered to the Board of Elections, where those ballots will be counted first, according to local reporting. The board will also need to explain what caused the failure — a ballot-printing problem, a software fault or a machine fault — and what steps will prevent a repeat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still vote in Westchester County today? Yes. Voting has not stopped. Complete a paper ballot at your polling place and follow poll workers' instructions. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Will my ballot count if it goes in an orange bag? Officials say yes. Ballots in secure orange emergency bags under bipartisan control are preserved and will be counted, reportedly first at the Board of Elections.

What caused the scanner failure? The cause has not been finally confirmed. The board first pointed to ballot thickness, then corrected that account. Software problems and misprinted ballots are among the suspected causes.

Are other New York counties affected? Neighbouring Rockland and Putnam counties reported no problems with their machines. The failure appears specific to Westchester County.

What should I do if I have a problem at my polling place? Stay in line and ask a poll worker for help. You can also call the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.

Read more: National Guard assisting midterm elections in seven states, 2026 midterms set to cost a record $11.9 billion, Ninth Circuit keeps election-worker shield live on Election Day.

Note: illustrative image, not a Westchester polling-site photo.