US midterm elections 2026: Why are ballot scanners not working in New York's Westchester County, and how will votes be counted?

Ballot scanners have failed to work in Westchester County at the time of voting during US midterm elections 2026. The voting machines at several polling stations began to reject paper ballots when polls started at 6am. The Westchester County Board of Elections have since said that the issue is due to the ballot paper being too thick. Officials have encouraged voters to keep filling out their ballots and place them into the orange emergency ballot bags. All the eligible votes will be kept safe and counted, the election authorities informed.

Why are ballot scanners not working in Westchester County?

The ballot scanners are not working in Westchester County. The Westchester County Board of Elections have said that ballot scanners are rejecting ballots due to the thick paper.


Several municipalities like the Town of North Salem have informed residents. Voters have been encouraged to keep voting on their paper ballots. County Executive Ken Jenkins has not provided any further information on the technical issues. Officials have not said when they will be back up and running.

How will votes be counted?

The election officials have introduced emergency procedures to ensure that the voting continues despite the scanner issue.

Voters have been advised to:

• Fill your paper ballot as per instructions of the polling staff.
• Stay in the queue and don't leave the polling station without casting vote.
• If your ballot cannot be accepted by the scanners, place it into the orange emergency ballot bags.
• These ballots will be kept safe and counted in the elections.

The New York State Board of Elections have said there has been no disruption to voting. They have also said they have emergency ballots in place for technical issues.

What have officials in New York said?

Westchester County Government have said they are in constant contact with New York state officials, county officials and polling staff. The Board of Elections have apologised and said no eligible voters should be discouraged.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has also confirmed that she is monitoring the situation. She has assured Westchester voters that they can safely vote at polling stations. All the votes will be counted. Polling stations have continued to open across the country. Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado will open their polling stations at 9am ET (2pm GMT).