New York ballot machine glitch hits House race

Ballot machines malfunctioned in Westchester County, New York, during a closely watched House race on Tuesday, but election officials said ballots were secure and would be counted.

The Westchester County Board of Elections said paper-ballot issues were preventing voting machines from accepting ballots at polling locations across the county. It said ballots were being placed in emergency bags and told voters their votes would be counted.

Parts of Westchester County are in New York's 17th district, where Republican incumbent Mike Lawler is facing Democrat Cait Conley. The district voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

The New York State Board of Elections said on X that voting had not been disrupted. It said long-established emergency ballot procedures had been put in place and that completed ballots were secured under bipartisan control.

The state board later said the technical error involved machines being unable to read and accept the ballots. It said the affected scanners rejected ballots they could not properly recognise rather than incorrectly tabulating them.

Pro-Donald Trump influencers claimed without evidence that Democrats were trying to steal the election. Those making the claims included Laura Loomer, Scott Pressler and Katie Miller.