Fact Check: Did voting-machine problems in Westchester County prove Democrats were cheating?

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NEW YORK: Voting machines across Westchester County, New York, rejected paper ballots when polls opened on Tuesday, November 3, after a programming glitch disrupted the scanning process.

The New York State Board of Elections traced the malfunction to a software update for a municipal contest after officials had already prepared and tested the machines.

Although election officials secured affected ballots for later counting under bipartisan supervision, the disruption quickly sparked online rumors alleging that Democrats were deliberately manipulating the election. Let's fact-check the claim.

Claim: Westchester voting machine glitches fuel claims of Democratic election fraud

Several users on X have been discussing the voting-machine glitch in Westchester County, New York.

One user claimed voting machines across the county were unable to scan paper ballots as Americans headed to the polls.

The post highlighted the scale of the disruption, noting that the county has nearly 700,000 registered voters. It also stated that officials were working to deploy backup machines and urged voters to remain in line and continue casting their ballots.

The technical glitch quickly triggered speculation and allegations of election fraud on social media. One X user questioned how a county with such a large voter population could experience problems with its voting equipment.

Others suggested that the malfunction was part of a deliberate effort to manipulate the election, with comments such as "The cheating playbook begins" and "Classic Democrat trick, they do it every time."

Fact Check: No credible evidence supports claim

The claim is false. There is no credible evidence to suggest the ballot-scanning malfunction in the suburban county north of New York City was anything other than a technical problem.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, whose seat was on the line, did not see malfeasance at work. “I want to be clear. There’s no shenanigans going on here,” he said at a news conference.

But posts were quick to portray the problem as evidence of nefarious activity. “Nothing to see here? Just front-load the early voting & then stop people voting on election day when more Republicans typically vote,” said one post. “Corrupt (New York Attorney General) Letitia James says she’s ‘monitoring the situation,’ which probably means they’re cheating. Flood the zone with our own people,” another post suggested.

Because of a programming glitch, machines at sites across the county would not accept paper ballots when polls opened.

Voters were instructed to put completed ballots in bags that would be safeguarded to be processed later.

Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley urged residents to vote despite the issue, and they stressed that all votes would be counted.