Westchester County voting machines fail to accept paper ballots

Voting machines at polling places across Westchester County, New York, could not accept paper ballots on Tuesday, but officials said votes in the midterm elections would still be counted, LRT reported.

The Westchester County Board of Elections said it was aware of the problem and assured voters that their ballots were safe and would be counted. For now, ballots are being placed in special backup bags.

Part of Westchester County lies in New York’s 17th congressional district, where Republican incumbent Mike Lawler is facing Democrat Cait Conley for a seat in the US House of Representatives. Kamala Harris won the Hudson Valley region in the 2024 presidential election.

The New York State Board of Elections said on X that voting had not been disrupted. It said established backup procedures were in place, with completed ballots being securely held under the supervision of representatives from both parties until they could be counted.

US President Donald Trump and his allies have previously spread unfounded conspiracy theories claiming that voting machines malfunction and cannot be trusted.