Voters across Queens reported malfunctioning ballot scanners during a tense morning on Election Day, causing long lines at voting centers throughout the borough.
Some polling centers across the borough were posting wait times of over 50 minutes at around noon on Tuesday, with some voters complaining of “unusual” wait times. Some voters who experienced problems with ballot scanners also reported being asked to leave their ballots in emergency bins to be scanned at a later time.
At P.S. 112Q in Astoria, voters said they were waiting in line for 35 minutes as two of the three ballot scanners at the polling center malfunctioned on Tuesday morning. A poll site worker said the polling center was experiencing “longer than usual” wait times due to the problem.
Another poll site worker at Astoria’s St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy said the polling center experienced a “late start” because all four of the center’s ballot scanners were not working when the center opened this morning. The official said a technician has visited the center and said the issue has now been resolved, with scanners now processing ballots as normal.
Voters across Queens cited similar problems early on Tuesday morning, with several people stating that they had to scan their ballots dozens of times before they were accepted.
Lulu Friesdat, the executive director of SMART Elections, a “non-partisan” non-profit that aims to improve election security, said lines at J.H.S. 190 at 68-17 Austin St. in Forest Hills were experiencing lines over two hours long due to malfunctioning scanners. Friesdat said just one of the seven ballot scanners at the center was working normally.
Some voters who encountered issues with ballot scanners wrote on social media that poll site workers informed them to leave their ballots in emergency bins and trust that they will be counted at a later time. Other social media users accused poll site workers of voiding ballots that could not be scanned.
Voters and social media users accused poll site workers at P.S. 164Q in Kew Gardens Hills of voiding ballots that could not be scanned after footage from the polling center began circulating online. Footage showed a poll worker holding around 20 ballots that had been put aside after being rejected by scanners.
However, Assembly Member Sam Berger, who represents Assembly District 27 including P.S. 164, dismissed any claims of election interference in a post on X but called for full transparency from the Queens Board of Elections.
“For anyone claiming election interference in AD27, it’s simply untrue. We have high Dem & high Rep poll sites – both are having issues,” Berger wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “This isn’t the fault of poll workers either & voters should be respectful to folks who are just trying to do their job. That being said, @BOENYC must be transparent & provide a clear explanation of what transpired this morning in Queens. There must be accountability.”
In a statement, the NYC Board of Elections noted reports that scanners in some polling sites across Queens required multiple scans before being accepted. The Board of Election also assured voters that all ballots cast at polling centers across Queens on Tuesday would be counted.
“Technicians were immediately dispatched, and corrective measures were undertaken,” NYC Board of Elections said in a statement. “In an abundance of caution, we had all 290 sites in Queens inspected.
“Voters are voting and have been voting all day. Voters have not been impacted beyond additional attempts to scan their ballot or have it placed in the emergency bin as protocol. We want to assure the public; any ballot cast will be counted.”
Statement from the Board of Elections pic.twitter.com/gziIAba5fj
— NYC Board of Elections (@BOENYC) November 5, 2024
NYC Board of Elections has not provided a reason for the widespread malfunction across Queens on Tuesday morning. Voters are able to check for wait times at polling sites by using the Election Tool Wait Time Map.
