Westchester voting machine glitch hits 332 polling sites as Trump allies allege fraud

Scanners reject paper ballots across the county

On Tuesday, 3 November, the Westchester County Board of Elections said it was aware of a problem that kept voting machines from accepting paper ballots at polling locations across the county. County administrator Kenneth Jenkins put the scale at 332 polling sites in more than 40 municipalities, with up to 250,000 ballots potentially affected. The problem was present from the moment polls opened at 6am local time. Officials said voting could continue, and voters were asked to place their paper ballots in orange emergency bags that would be kept secure and monitored until counting.

A programming error and the official response

The New York State Board of Elections later said the malfunction came from a programming error. A change made after the initial equipment tests had been installed on the machines used for early voting and on those in one affected municipality, but not on the county's other devices, so most machines kept an older software version. Officials said the scanners could not recognize the ballots used on election day and rejected them instead of miscounting them. Paper thickness, which had first been cited as a possible cause, was ruled out, and the machines are being updated. The county government also posted a reassurance on its website.

“Let us be absolutely clear: Every eligible vote will be counted.”

The race in New York's 17th District

The county covers roughly 30% of the 17th District, where Republican incumbent Mike Lawler faces Democrat Cait Conley in a close contest. Lawler said officials were working with vendors to resolve the problem, and he told CNN from his polling place that every ballot would be counted. Conley also told voters their ballots would count. The board's Democratic and Republican commissioners, Tajian M. Nelson and Douglas A. Colety, said in a statement that voters could still safely fill out and submit their ballots. New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote on X that her office was monitoring the issue, and Bloomberg reported that the malfunction raised the possibility of bottlenecks in counting votes.

Trump allies allege fraud

Several prominent supporters of President Donald Trump seized on the malfunction. Laura Loomer, a far-right activist, wrote on X that Democrats were already trying to steal the election in New York. Katie Miller, a conservative podcast host, former Trump administration official and wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller, wrote on X:

“This is how the Left steals elections.”

Republican congresswoman Claudia Tenney also laid blame on the Democratic Party. No evidence supporting these claims had been published at the time.

Voters and what comes next

Voters told Fox 5 NY that they had to fill out paper ballots instead of using the machines, and that their ballots were placed in a security box. Other voters voiced frustration on social media. Officials urged people at affected polling locations to remain in line and cast their ballots. Results in one of the country's most prominent House races could be delayed while officials work to resolve the paper-ballot problem.