New York elections officials have traced widespread voting machine failures in Westchester County to a missing software update, with the State Board of Elections saying Election Day machines lacked a necessary update made after testing. The issue disrupted voting in one of the nation's most closely watched House races, prompting voters to use emergency paper-ballot procedures.
Earlier in the day, Westchester County had briefly blamed the problem on the thickness of paper ballots before retracting that explanation.
The failures affected polling locations across Westchester, home to roughly 30 percent of New York's 17th Congressional District. The race between incumbent Representative Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger Cait Conley is a key battleground as Democrats seek to flip the House.
“Let us be absolutely clear: Every eligible vote will be counted,” the Westchester County government said. Lawler said officials were working with machine vendors, while Conley reassured voters their ballots would count. New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office is monitoring the issue.
At polling places, voters submitted paper ballots into secure emergency orange bags, a standard backup procedure under New York election law. Common Cause Executive Director Susan Lerner said that after initial confusion, reports were that conditions at polling stations were pretty calm.
The results may take longer to come in. Republicans and Democrats are seeking a joint court order to require central tabulation of the ballots. According to Lawler, their proposal includes keeping bags of unprocessed ballots sealed until they are taken to the Board of Elections in White Plains after polls close at 9 pm. The Board of Elections has around 10 machines being set up for the count, capable of processing roughly 2,000 ballots an hour. Lawler said that could be enough to get a tally tonight, though it may go into the early morning.
“A spot check would have surfaced this particular issue,” cybersecurity and voting expert Pamela Smith said. Similar disruptions affected early voting in Tompkins County, where a printing malfunction meant voting machines could not scan ballots and voters submitted them in secure emergency ballot bags. On social media, Katie Miller, the wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller, claimed: “This is how the Left steals elections.” Westchester’s ballot scanning and, if necessary, hand-counting are being overseen by members of both political parties.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The outcome of a tight House race could be shaped by how voters perceive the integrity and speed of the process.
- A delay in results provides a vacuum for misinformation and challenges to the outcome.
- The incident reinforces national concerns about the reliability and security of election technology.
Background
The 17th Congressional District race in New York between incumbent Republican Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley is one of the most competitive House contests in the midterm elections. Westchester County covers roughly 30 percent of the district. Election technology vulnerabilities have been a prominent issue heading into the midterms.
Key Perspectives
State Board of Elections: Blames a missing software update applied after pre-election testing.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R): Says his team is working with machine vendors to resolve the issue and urged voters to stay in line.
Cait Conley (D): Reassured voters that their ballots will count.
Westchester County Government: Stated clearly that every eligible vote will be counted.
Pamela Smith (Cybersecurity and voting expert): Says a spot check would have caught the missing update.
Common Cause New York (Susan Lerner): Reports conditions at polling stations are calm and expects results to take longer but says accurate results are worth waiting for.
Katie Miller: Claimed on social media the disruption was a form of election theft.
What to Watch
- The outcome of the joint court order request for centralised tabulation in White Plains.
- Whether the count concludes on election night or stretches into the early morning.
- How the delay and online narratives affect voter confidence and the eventual result.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe headline says a missing software update caused Westchester voting-machine failures, according to state officials.New York Focus: “the programming on the machines used on Election Day did not include a necessary update made after testing, according to a statement issued by the State Board of Elections.”
- SupportedElection Day machines lacked a necessary update made after testing.New York Focus: “the programming on the machines used on Election Day did not include a necessary update made after testing”
- SupportedWestchester County government said, “Let us be absolutely clear: Every eligible vote will be counted.”Axios: “Westchester County government wrote on its website: "Let us be absolutely clear: Every eligible vote will be counted."”
- SupportedRepublicans and Democrats are seeking a joint court order for central tabulation of the ballots.New York Focus: “Republicans and Democrats are seeking a joint court order to require central tabulation of the ballots.”
- SupportedWestchester County briefly blamed the problem on ballot thickness, then retracted that explanation.New York Focus: “Earlier in the day, Westchester County created confusion when it released and then retracted a statement blaming the issue on the thickness of the paper ballots.”
- SupportedThe failures affected polling locations across Westchester County.Axios: “The Westchester County Board of Elections said Tuesday it was aware of a problem preventing voting machines from accepting paper ballots at polling locations throughout the county.”
- SupportedWestchester County is home to roughly 30 percent of New York’s 17th Congressional District.Axios: “The county covers roughly 30% of New York's 17th District, which Lawler represents.”
- SupportedCybersecurity and voting expert Pamela Smith said, “A spot check would have surfaced this particular issue.”New York Focus: ““A spot check would have surfaced this particular issue.””
- Partly supportedThe results may take longer to come in.New York Focus: ““The results may take longer to come in in Westchester,” Lerner said.”
- SupportedThe Board of Elections has around 10 machines being set up for the count.New York Focus: “The Board of Elections has around 10 machines that can process roughly 2,000 ballots an hour being set up for the count.”
- SupportedLawler said the machines could be enough to get a tally tonight, though counting may go into the early morning.New York Focus: “That could be enough to get a tally in tonight, Lawler said, though it may go into the early morning.”
- SupportedKatie Miller claimed, “This is how the Left steals elections.”Axios: “Katie Miller, wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller, claimed on X: "This is how the Left steals elections. Mike Lawler's competitive district and they are turning away voters."”