Ballot Scanners Break in New York House Race as Votes Go Into Orange Bags

Clear Facts

• Ballot scanners failed across Westchester County polling locations in New York’s 17th Congressional District on Election Day.
• Republican incumbent Mike Lawler called for votes to be counted in one central location under full oversight by his campaign, election monitors, and attorneys.
• Voters were directed to place completed ballots into orange bags for later processing.

Republican Congressman Mike Lawler urged voters to remain in line after ballot scanners malfunctioned throughout Westchester County, which forms a major portion of his district. The county Board of Elections confirmed that paper ballots could not be read by voting machines at polling sites.

Both parties have called for centralized counting to protect election integrity.

“Every ballot will be counted and we are already in court to make sure they are counted in one central location so that our campaign, election monitors, and our attorneys can watch and oversee the process,” Congressman Lawler posted.

Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James stated voters could still safely submit ballots at polling locations.

Early reports from The Daily Wire showed polling stations following emergency procedures, placing folded ballots into orange bags. One voter expressed deep concern over the lack of immediate verification and questioned the safeguards surrounding the unsecured ballots.

Westchester County is expected to favor the Democratic candidate in this race. No explanation has been provided for why the county was unaware of the scanner failure before Election Day.

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