Storms And Scanners Threaten Your Vote On Election Day
Weather and machine failures are disrupting voting. See how storms in Florida and scanner glitches in New York affect your ballot today.
Trending Newsfeed Staff Writer · Nov 3, 2026 · 2 min read
Severe storms and flooding have already forced 19 polling locations to move in seven Florida counties before polls even opened. This disruption hits right as Election Day begins, complicating the vote for families in key battleground states. Weather and broken machines are combining to block Americans from casting their ballots today.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an emergency order on Monday to handle the crisis in Florida. The order allows officials to change where people vote when a state of emergency is declared.
Per the Washington Examiner, state law lets officials “designate a new polling place which shall be accessible to the public on election day” during these emergencies. This move affects counties like Brevard and St. Lucie where water has risen dangerously high.
Technology Fails in Wealthy Suburbs
While storms hit rural areas, high-tech voting machines are failing in wealthy New York suburbs. Westchester County, home to roughly a million people, saw ballot scanners reject votes shortly after polls opened at 6 AM. Rep. Mike Lawler, who is fighting for reelection in the region, sounded the alarm about the widespread failure.
According to RedState, Lawler wrote, “There is a problem with every ballot scanner in Westchester County.” Officials do not know if the fault lies with the ballots or the machines themselves. The Board of Elections is working with vendors to fix the issue while voters fill out paper ballots instead.
Why Early Voting Matters Now
This chaos proves exactly why pushing for early voting is so important for election integrity. Republican activist Scott Presler had warned supporters about these exact risks before the election started. He noted that last-minute failures often catch voters off guard when they need to act.
“So, when people attack me for pushing early voting, this is exactly what I’m talking about,” Presler wrote in response to the Maricopa County announcement. His point is clear: relying on a single day of voting leaves too much room for disaster. When machines break or roads flood, the system fails the voter.
What Voters Must Do Today
Election workers in New York have been told to check voters in and hand out paper ballots by hand. These paper ballots will go into orange bags to be counted later by the state. The New York State Board of Elections is investigating the malfunction while technicians try to restore the scanners.
Rep. Lawler sent a critical message to every voter facing these delays. He urged them, “Do not leave the polling place without voting.” This advice stands for anyone dealing with weather delays or machine glitches across the country. If you stay until the issue is resolved, your voice gets counted.