'Glitch' prevents NY scanners from accepting ballots—Hochul says all votes will be counted

Mike Lawler, the incumbent GOP Rep. for New York’s 17th Congressional District, said, “There is a problem with every ballot scanner in Westchester County. 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.”

Lawler is running to keep his seat, with Democrat Cait Conley seeking to replace him. An election source told News 12’s Tara Rosenblum that “there is no way we will know the winner of NY17 tonight” due to the ballot issues. The district includes portions of Westchester County.

A statement from the Westchester County Board of Elections issued on Tuesday morning read, “The Westchester County Board of Elections (BOE) is aware of an issue involving paper ballots that is preventing voting machines from accepting ballots at polling locations throughout the County. The Westchester Board of Elections wants to reassure every voter that your vote matters, your ballot will be secure and your vote will be counted.”

The BOE said it is in communication with officials and poll workers to address the issue, and that “In the meantime, voters should continue to complete their paper ballots as instructed by poll workers. Ballots will be placed in designated orange emergency ballot bags, which will remain secure and monitored. These ballots will subsequently be counted in accordance with applicable election procedures.”

“Let us be absolutely clear: Every eligible vote will be counted. No voter should be discouraged from participating in this election because of this issue. Your voice matters. Your vote matters. Please stay in line and vote,” the statement added.

The statement came after a similar one earlier in the morning from the BOE, which claimed that they were aware “of an issue involving the thickness of paper ballots that is preventing voting machines from accepting ballots at polling locations throughout the County.” The newer statement from the BOE removed reference to ballot thickness issues.

Governor Kathy Hochul, who is running against Republican Bruce Blakeman to keep her seat, said that the “glitch” in Westchester County is “being resolved in a bipartisan way.” She told the New York Post, “We understand that there’s being a glitch, but every vote is gonna be counted.”

“I think I need to say that three times: every vote will be counted, every vote will be counted. It’s being resolved in a bipartisan way — as it is supposed to,” she said, adding, “The back up plan is in place, and so Westchester voters should feel very confident that they should show up, they should continue to vote. If they see a line, stay in line.”