Election Day Under Strain: What Broke, What Held, and What to Watch as the Count Begins
Ballot scanners failed in Westchester, bomb threats emptied an Ohio polling place and floods moved precincts in Florida. Backup systems kept voting going. Here's the record so far, and why patience is now part of a patriot's job.
By Clara Hughes
Americans voted on Tuesday in a midterm that will decide control of Congress. By mid-afternoon Eastern time, the day had brought a familiar mix of problems: broken machines, threats, bad weather and scam messages. It had also shown the backup systems that let voting continue when something goes wrong. This report sets out what officials and news organizations had confirmed as of Tuesday afternoon ET. It does not report results. At the time of writing, polls were still open across most of the country, and no outcome in the House or Senate had been settled. Readers should rely on official results and attributed race calls, not on social media posts or early impressions. Keep reading with Altas Premium. Below: the full rundown of Tuesday's trouble spots, from Westchester's scanner failure to Ohio's bomb threats, Georgia's scam texts and Florida's flooded precincts; what held up; the federal watch on the vote; and a clear checklist for following the count without being misled. [Subscribe to Altas World News →] Westchester: every scanner, one programming change The most serious problem was in Westchester County, New York, north of New York City. Voting machines across the county began rejecting ballots when polls