Westchester machines rejected paper ballots on Election Day

Voting machines across Westchester County, New York, refused to accept paper ballots on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

The malfunction affected the state's seventh most populous county. The Board of Elections confirmed the issue in a statement released that morning. A follow-up statement later in the day identified the cause. A programming update for one municipality had been deployed to early voting machines and local Election Day equipment. However, machines in the rest of the county continued running the original code. This prevented them from recognizing the new ballots.

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., provided a different technical explanation. He told CNN that the ballots were too thick for the machines to read. Lawler had previously posted on X about the scanner problem. He urged voters to remain in line. "However, every ballot will be counted. Stay on line and vote. Do not leave the polling place without voting," he wrote.

Poll workers handled the rejected ballots using an emergency procedure. Voters reported that staff placed completed paper ballots into red or orange bags. The Board of Elections described these as emergency ballot bags. The bags remained secure and monitored until the counting process began. Officials instructed voters to continue filling out their ballots as usual.

County Executive Ken Jenkins called the situation unacceptable. He directed county officials, including those from the Law Department, to monitor the process. Jenkins stated he would convene a bipartisan team after the issues were resolved. This group will review the failures and determine accountability. "Westchester County voters deserve a fair, secure and seamless election process. Today, we have fallen short of that standard," Jenkins said.

The Board of Elections apologized to voters and poll workers. The board emphasized that no eligible vote would be lost. "Let us be absolutely clear: Every eligible vote will be counted. No voter should be discouraged from participating in this election because of this issue. Your voice matters. Your vote matters. Please stay in line and vote," the statement read.

Voters expressed mixed reactions to the delay. Patrick Reagan, a 40-year voter in the county, waited outside a Yonkers polling place. He hoped all votes would be properly accounted for. Linda Giaimo, who accompanied a friend to vote, said she would contact the Board of Elections. "So now we've got to put our vote in a bag and believe that that bag is going to be delivered. I got a problem with this," Giaimo said.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office was monitoring the issue. She remained in contact with state and local election officials. James posted on X that voters could safely submit their ballots. She reminded residents of the Election Protection Hotline at (866) 390-2992. Polls in New York opened at 6 a.m. and closed at 9 p.m.