Scanners rejected ballots at most polling sites across a New York county on Election Day, forcing workers to stuff paper ballots into emergency bags in a House race that could help decide control of Congress.
Story Highlights
- Scanners malfunctioned at most Westchester County polling sites on November 3, 2026, during a tight race in New York’s 17th congressional district.
- County officials later said a programming glitch caused it: a software update made for one local contest after the machines were tested left machines elsewhere unable to read the ballots.
- Workers placed rejected ballots in orange emergency bags to be counted later, which delayed election-night results.
- Republican Rep. Mike Lawler conceded late Tuesday, saying, “When all of the votes are counted tomorrow in Westchester, it’s going to be pretty clear that we will be short.”
- Ballots the scanners rejected were to be counted Wednesday at a county warehouse, with both parties watching.
Scanners Failed Across The County On Election Day
Voting machines stopped accepting ballots at most polling sites in Westchester County on November 3, 2026. NBC New York and CBS New York both reported the problem hit the majority of locations, not just one or two broken machines. The timing mattered. Westchester sits inside New York’s 17th congressional district, a race both parties see as critical to deciding who controls the House.
Poll workers told voters to keep filling out paper ballots even as scanners rejected them. The Westchester County Board of Elections directed staff to place those rejected ballots into orange emergency bags. News 12 reported the bagged ballots would get counted before machine-read ballots once polls closed. That meant a slower, more manual count for a potentially large share of votes.
What Caused The Failure
No one gave a single, confirmed explanation while polls were open. The Board of Elections said in a statement, “We do not yet know the exact cause of the issue, whether it is the ballot or the machine”. Separately, NBC New York reported the county pointed to ballot paper thickness as the likely culprit. The Croton Chronicle noted software problems and ballot misprinting as other suspected causes, but said the county had not settled on one answer.
That mix of explanations left a gap between what officials said in real time and what actually caused scanners across an entire county to reject ballots. Representative Mike Lawler, whose seat sits at the center of the race, said the problem seemed to hit every scanner, not just a few. Later, county officials said a “programming glitch” caused the failure. A software update was made for one municipal contest after the machines had been prepared and tested, and machines in other towns kept the original software and did not recognize the ballots, according to reports.
Lawler Concedes
Late Tuesday, November 3, Lawler conceded the race. “When all of the votes are counted tomorrow in Westchester, it’s going to be pretty clear that we will be short,” he said, according to reports. The race had not been formally called as of early Wednesday, November 4.
Officials Said Every Ballot Would Still Count
Despite the confusion, state and county leaders moved fast to reassure voters. New York Attorney General Letitia James said, “Westchester voters can still safely fill out and turn in their ballots at their polling locations. Your votes will count”. The Board of Elections echoed that message, saying every ballot placed in the orange bags would get counted after polls closed. The rejected ballots were to be scanned and counted Wednesday, November 4, at a county warehouse, with representatives of both parties watching, according to reports.
Those assurances rest on a real process. Reports describe poll workers checking voters in, handing out paper ballots, and sealing rejected ballots in bags workers already use for emergencies. That system kept voting moving instead of turning people away. But promises that ballots “will count” are not the same as a published audit showing they actually did, in the right numbers, without error.
What The Record Does Not Yet Show
Nothing in the available reporting shows votes were changed, lost, or miscounted. No source documents a mismatch between what voters marked and what got recorded. The evidence so far describes a technical breakdown and a backup plan, not proof of fraud or manipulation. That distinction matters for readers trying to judge how serious this really is.
WATCH: Westchester County Executive Calls Ballot Scanner Meltdown in Race That Could Decide Control of The House a ‘Debacle,’ Mike Lawler Tells Voters to STAY IN LINE!
— JB Slear (@JB_Slear) November 3, 2026
At the same time, basic facts remain missing. No public source has released how many ballots were rejected, how many polling sites were affected, or a site-by-site count reconciling bagged ballots against voter check-ins. Election researchers note that scanner and paper-handling failures are a documented, non-rare category of election problem even without any bad actor involved. That context cuts both ways: it explains why a glitch like this can happen, while also showing why full transparency about the cause matters for public trust, especially in a race this close.
Sources:
townhall.com, abc7ny.com, cbsnews.com, thecrotonchronicle.substack.com, fox5ny.com, misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu
