Ballot machine glitch hits New York county in tight House race

Ballot machines experienced technical difficulties in a closely-watched House race in New York state on Tuesday, leading to accusations of voter fraud by conservative figures despite election officials' assurances. President Donald Trump and his allies have previously spread unsubstantiated claims about faulty voting machines. The Westchester County Board of Elections acknowledged an issue with paper ballots that prevented voting machines from accepting ballots at polling locations across the county.

To reassure voters, the board stated that every ballot would be secure and counted, with ballots temporarily placed in emergency bags. The affected areas are part of New York's 17th congressional district, where incumbent Republican Mike Lawler is contesting with Democrat Cait Conley for a House seat that previously voted for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2024.

Right-wing influencers, including conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, conservative activist Scott Pressler, and podcaster Katie Miller, married to White House advisor Stephen Miller, seized on the glitch without evidence, alleging Democrats were attempting to steal the election. The New York State Board of Elections confirmed on social media platform X that there was no disruption to voting, and that ballots would be handled under bipartisan control and counted.

The technical error was attributed to voting machines being unable to read and accept the ballots, rather than incorrectly tabulating them.