Ballot scanners stopped accepting ballots at polling locations across Westchester County on Tuesday, Nov. 3, including in Rye and Harrison.
The City of Rye said in a statement posted at 9:05 a.m. that it had been in direct communication with county election officials and received assurances that all ballots cast would be counted. The city urged residents to remain patient.
MyRye.com reported that ballot issues were appearing at polling sites in the City of Rye and across the county. Voting machines were not accepting paper ballots, but poll workers were collecting completed ballots in designated Board of Elections bags so voters could still cast their votes.
The Westchester County Board of Elections (BOE) said in a statement that it was aware of a paper ballot issue preventing voting machines from accepting ballots at polling locations throughout the county. The BOE said every eligible vote would still be counted.
What Rye voters should know
The City of Rye posted voting guidance telling residents what to expect. Poll workers will check voters in and hand out normal paper ballots. If the ballot reader is not working, the completed ballot goes into a secure ballot bag. Those bagged ballots will be delivered to the BOE and counted like any other paper ballot, including mail and absentee ballots.
The city warned voters not to leave their polling place without voting after signing in. Voters who leave after signing in will not be able to vote later, according to the city's guidance.
Cause still unclear
County Executive Ken Jenkins called it a countywide problem. "There is a county-wide issue at all of the polling locations where the ballot is not going through the scanner," Jenkins said in a video statement released around 10 a.m. on YouTube.
The BOE initially attributed the failures to "the thickness of paper ballots" but issued a corrected statement less than an hour later removing the word "thickness," NBC New York reported. Gov. Kathy Hochul separately told reporters the problem appeared to stem from "wrong size paper." The precise cause remained officially unconfirmed.
Jenkins called the situation "unacceptable" and said he would convene a bipartisan team to review what went wrong once the issues were resolved.
Officials urge voters to stay in line
Rep. Mike Lawler, the Republican incumbent in New York's 17th Congressional District, said every ballot scanner in the county was experiencing problems.
Lawlers campaign said in a statement: "We do not yet know the exact cause of the issue, whether it is the ballot or the machine. The Board of Elections is working with their vendors to resolve it. However, every ballot will be counted. Stay on line and vote. Do not leave the polling place without voting."
Cait Conley, the Democratic challenger in the 17th District race, also urged voters not to leave.
"Westchester! There are technical issues with ballot scanners in Westchester, but don't worry: you can still vote and every vote is being counted!" Conley said in a statement. "Don't be dissuaded and have your voice heard. The issue is being worked on diligently by the Board of Elections in a bipartisan manner. The Polls are open and operational, and every vote cast will be counted. Please stay in line and have your voice heard as they work to resolve the issue. Thank you!"
NY Attorney General Letitia James said on X that her office was monitoring the situation and was in contact with state and county election officials.
Hochul said the problem could take many hours to fix. "Every single vote will be counted, without a doubt," Hochul said, according to NBC New York.
The New York State Board of Elections said completed ballots were being secured under bipartisan control and would be counted.
Polls close at 9 p.m. Voters with questions can call the Westchester County BOE at 914-995-2000 or the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.
