DOJ Dispatches 1,000 Monitors Amid Westchester Voting Machine Failures
Federal observers will watch polls in all 50 states as scanner issues delay ballots in a key New York county and control of Congress remains uncertain.
By Malik Salazar ·
Voting opened Tuesday across the United States for the 2026 midterm elections.
The Justice Department confirmed it is deploying approximately 1,000 federal monitors to polling places in all 50 states. This number exceeds the 714 observers sent during the 2024 presidential election and the 289 deployed in 2022. Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Civil Rights Division, stated that the monitors will verify that citizens are voting and that votes are not nullified by individuals who should not be voting.
Technical difficulties emerged early in Westchester County, New York. Ballot scanners at multiple sites failed to accept votes due to the thickness of the paper ballots. Poll workers instructed voters to place their completed ballots into orange emergency bags for later counting. The county Board of Elections stated that the bags are secure and monitored and that the ballots will be counted according to standard procedures.
Local candidates and officials responded to the disruption on social media. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is running for reelection, said her office is coordinating with state and local boards to find a solution. Republican Representative Mike Lawler, a candidate for the 17th District, said every scanner in the county is malfunctioning and urged voters to remain in line. His Democratic challenger, Cait Conley, posted similar encouragement. The 17th District race is one of the most expensive House contests this cycle.
Political analysts view Westchester County as critical for determining control of the House of Representatives. Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the House with 219 seats to 214, and a 53-47 lead in the Senate. President Donald Trump’s approval rating sits at 22 points underwater, according to recent NBC News polling. Inflation and the cost of living are the primary concerns driving voter sentiment.
Battleground Senate races include Abdul El-Sayed against Mike Rogers in Michigan, Ken Paxton against James Talarico in Texas, and Senator Susan Collins against Troy Jackson in Maine. Gubernatorial elections are also taking place in 36 states, including California, Florida, Ohio, and Texas.
Polls opened at 6 a.m. ET in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia. North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia followed at 6:30 a.m. ET. Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina opened at 7 a.m. ET. Alaska and Washington opened at 11 a.m. ET, with Hawaii closing out the day at 12 p.m. ET.
