Westchester ballot scanners fail countywide; flooding changes voting in Florida and Utah

Ballot scanners at polling places across Westchester County, New York, stopped accepting ballots when polls opened at 6 a.m. on Tuesday. Voters there are still voting. They fill in paper ballots as usual, but poll workers put the ballots into sealed emergency bags to be scanned and counted later, instead of feeding them into the machines.

The breakdown is the largest equipment problem reported so far on Election Day 2026, and it hit a county at the center of one of the most closely watched House races in the country. It came a day after flooding forced emergency voting changes in parts of Florida and Utah. A local problem with a counting machine was also reported in Tulsa County, Oklahoma.

This story sets out what officials have said about each problem, how the backup procedures work, and what remains unknown. It does not report or project results. Polls in New York close at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

What happened in Westchester

Reports of scanners rejecting ballots began at opening time, according to CBS New York and NBC New York. Voters in New Rochelle, North Salem and Ossining were among those who described ballots that would not go through the machines.

The Westchester County Board of Elections first said the problem was caused by "the thickness of paper ballots," WABC-TV reported. Less than an hour later, the board issued a corrected statement that dropped the word "thickness," according to NBC New York. The corrected statement describes "an issue involving paper ballots that is preventing voting machines from accepting ballots at polling locations throughout the County." It does not name a cause.

The board's statement told voters to keep filling out their ballots as poll workers instruct. "Ballots will be placed in designated orange emergency ballot bags, which will remain secure and monitored," it said. "These ballots will subsequently be counted in accordance with applicable election procedures." The board also apologized "to voters and poll workers for the inconvenience this situation has caused."

County Executive Ken Jenkins, a Democrat, posted a video message on the county's official account at about 10 a.m.

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"There is a county-wide issue at all of the polling locations where the ballot is not going through the scanner," Jenkins said in the video, as quoted by NBC New York. He said the county did not see "a need at this time" to ask for longer voting hours. "No one should be panicked," he added.

Jenkins later went further in a written statement published by the Yonkers Times. He called the situation "unacceptable" and said he would "convene a bipartisan team to conduct a thorough review" of what went wrong. He noted that ballots used during early voting were printed on site at each early-voting location, unlike the ballots printed in advance for Election Day. Jenkins did not say that this difference caused the failure, and no official has confirmed a cause.

What state officials have said

Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is on the ballot herself for a second full term, was asked about the problem by reporters at a polling place in Queens. She said it could take many hours to fix, according to CBS New York.

"Every single vote will be counted, without a doubt -- just whether it's counted in a different way or we figure out how to get the ballots to a different machine," Hochul said. "There's a lot of planning that goes into anticipating the worst case scenarios and I'm grateful that the Republicans and Democrats are working together to resolve this." She said the problem appeared to stem from the "wrong size paper." The county board has not confirmed that explanation.

The New York State Board of Elections said it was monitoring the scanner problems and was in contact with county officials, WABC-TV reported. The state board said voting had not been disrupted and that completed ballots were being collected under bipartisan supervision. It said every eligible voter would still be able to cast a ballot.

Attorney General Letitia James said on social media that her office is monitoring the issue, according to CBS New York. The Westchester County Board of Legislators said in a statement that "every eligible vote will be counted" and that ballots that cannot be scanned will be "securely collected and counted in accordance with election procedures," CBS New York reported.

Why the county matters this year

Part of Westchester lies in New York's 17th Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Mike Lawler$ faces Democrat Cait Conley. The race is one of a handful of New York contests that national party groups have targeted in the fight for control of the House. Our race page for the 17th District has background on both candidates. Westchester voters are also choosing between Hochul and Republican Bruce Blakeman in the governor's race.

Both House candidates told voters to stay at the polls. "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," Lawler wrote on social media, according to CBS New York. "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," Conley wrote on social media, according to Gothamist. She also said the issue was being handled in a bipartisan way.

Gothamist reported that the problem could delay results in the district, because ballots in the emergency bags must be scanned after the machines are working again or moved to other machines. Officials have not given a timetable for counting those ballots.

How the emergency ballot bags work

The backup plan in Westchester depends on one fact: voters are marking paper ballots. When a scanner fails, the paper ballot is still a complete record of the voter's choices. Under the procedure the county board described, a voter marks the ballot, and a poll worker places it in an orange emergency bag instead of the scanner. The bags stay under the watch of workers from both major parties. The ballots are then run through working scanners or counted under state procedures.

The Westchester procedure works like this, in the order officials have described it:

1. 1Markthe voter fills in a paper ballot as poll workers instruct
2. 2Bagthe ballot goes into an orange emergency ballot bag, not the scanner
3. 3Guardthe bags stay secure and monitored under bipartisan supervision
4. 4Countthe ballots are counted later under state election procedures

Source: Westchester County Board of Elections statement, via NBC New York

Voters do not need to do anything different. Officials have repeatedly asked people not to leave the line. The main cost is time. Ballots that are counted later can slow the release of complete results on election night.

A similar backup was in use in Oklahoma on Tuesday morning. The Tulsa County Election Board confirmed that the ballot counting machine at the Owasso Church of Christ polling place had malfunctioned, FOX23 reported. An official said standard procedure in that case is for the voter to place the ballot in an emergency bin, to be scanned and counted once the machine is fixed. The county election board also reported problems with its phone lines countywide. Polls in Oklahoma close at 7 p.m. local time.

Flooding changes voting in Florida

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Executive Order 26-227 on Monday, Nov. 2. It declared a state of emergency for fall flooding in Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties. The order lets county supervisors of elections who cannot follow normal state rules for moving polling places notify the Department of State of substitute steps, subject to approval by the secretary of state.

Florida Politics reported that 19 polling places changed across seven counties: Brevard, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie. That list differs from the counties named in the emergency order. The Department of State's emergency election page lists the moves made under the order and under the state's general law on relocating polling places. In Brevard County, for example, voters assigned to the Max K. Rodes Park Community Center now vote at the New Shiloh Christian Center. In St. Lucie County, some voters were moved to the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center.

The state's own page warns that the list is "subject to change." Florida voters must vote at their assigned polling place on Election Day. A provisional ballot cast at the wrong precinct is not counted, Florida Politics noted. Polls in Florida are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Voters in the affected counties can check their county supervisor's website for their current site.

Utah allows emergency electronic ballots in San Juan County

In Utah, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, the state's chief election officer, issued a declaration of emergency election accommodations on Monday for San Juan County, in the state's southeast corner. The county was hit by flooding in late October and again on Nov. 1 and 2, Utah Public Radio reported.

Utah conducts most voting by mail. Under the declaration, affected San Juan County voters who have not yet voted can receive and return a ballot electronically. According to the state's notice, voters receive the ballot by email on Election Day. Voters who did not receive one can call the county clerk by 5 p.m., and electronic ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. In-person polling places in the county remain open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., though some drop boxes close at 3 p.m.

"We want every eligible voter in San Juan County to be able to cast a ballot if they have not done so already," the lieutenant governor's office said in a news release. Electronic ballots in Utah are normally reserved for military and overseas voters and voters with disabilities, Utah Public Radio noted. The emergency declaration extends that option to flood-affected voters for this election.

The debate over electronic ballot return

Utah's decision touches a long-running dispute among election officials and security experts. Utah's state election office presented the step as a way to make sure flood-affected voters who had not yet voted could still cast a ballot, using a method the state already offers to military, overseas and disabled voters.

Critics say returning a voted ballot by email or web portal creates risks that paper avoids. Verified Voting, a nonpartisan group that focuses on election technology, says that "electronic ballot return" is "another term for 'internet voting.'" The group argues that a secret ballot plus confirmed voter identity is a "combination of privacy and security" that "is impossible with current internet voting technology." It recommends voter-verified paper ballots as "the most secure option," and points out that when an official prints an emailed ballot, "the voter never interacted with the printed copy and cannot verify it is correct."

The Westchester breakdown shows the other side of that argument in practice. Because voters there marked paper ballots, a machine failure delayed the count but did not stop people from voting. The paper remains available to be scanned or checked later.

The disruptions at a glance

What is not yet known

Several questions remain open as of late Tuesday morning:

• The cause. The Westchester County Board of Elections has not said why the scanners rejected the ballots. The governor's comment about paper size has not been confirmed by the board.
• The fix. Officials have not said when the scanners will work again, or whether the bagged ballots will be counted on election night.
• The number of voters affected. No official count of ballots placed in emergency bags has been released.
• Polling hours. Jenkins said there was no need "at this time" to extend hours. Any extension in New York would generally require a court order. None had been reported by late morning.

The Justice Department has said it is sending election monitors to polling places in many states this year, a step some states have sought to limit. Our earlier story on those monitors explains what they can and cannot do. For poll closing times in every state and the rules on late-arriving mail ballots, see our Election Day guide.

Voters in line when polls close can still vote in every state. Anyone who has trouble voting can contact their county election office or their state's chief election official. Election officials will release results after polls close. This story will not report them.

Differing perspectives

Should election officials let voters return ballots electronically when a disaster disrupts voting?

Each position is summarized as its supporters make it, with equal weight and in alphabetical order. A summary is not an endorsement; the evidence for each is weighed in the story above.

• No: keep voted ballots on paper

  Who holds it: Verified Voting

  Verified Voting says electronic ballot return is another form of internet voting. It says current technology cannot both keep a ballot secret and confirm that the right person cast it. The group says voter-verified paper ballots are the most secure option, because they can be counted by certified machines and checked by hand later. It says that when an official prints an emailed ballot, the voter never sees that printed copy and cannot confirm it is correct.

  In their words: Verified Voting ↗

• Yes: allow it under an emergency declaration

  Who holds it: Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson's office

  Utah's election office says every eligible voter in flood-hit San Juan County should be able to cast a ballot if they have not already done so. Under its emergency declaration, affected voters may receive a ballot by email and return it electronically by 8 p.m. on Election Day. The office says local election officials and poll workers will still staff every scheduled in-person polling place until 8 p.m., so voters can choose either path.

  In their words: Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office ↗