Machine Malfunction Forces Emergency Paper Ballot Rules in Westchester Race
Voting machine scanners malfunctioned across Westchester County, New York, on November 3, 2026, forcing election staff to implement emergency paper ballot protocols during a high-stakes Congressional election. Local voters placed their completed ballots into secure emergency storage units under bipartisan supervision after scanning devices throughout the county failed to read paper forms.
Technical Error Rejects Ballots Straight to Emergency Storage
Election workers at polling locations across Westchester County collected affected paper ballots in designated emergency bags for manual tabulation to ensure full ballot security. The New York State Board of Elections confirmed that the technical error caused voting scanners to reject unrecognized paper forms outright rather than tabulating them incorrectly, allowing voting to continue without interruption.
The equipment failure occurred during the race for New York’s 17th Congressional District between incumbent Republican Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley, a district that previously backed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
