Hostin Says Voting Machines Failed in Westchester

The View co-host described being told to place her ballot in an orange bag after machines were reported not working at her polling place.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Elections

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a plain ballot box with a folded paper edge at its slot, centered on a pale wall, in a restrained red and cream palette. — Sunny Hostin said she was told to place her ballot in an orange bag after machines at her Westchester County, New York polling place were reported not working on Election Day. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Sunny Hostin voted in the 2026 midterm election in Westchester County, New York, filling out her ballot before 7 a.m. She said she was told to fold it and place it in an orange bag because none of the ballot machines were working.

Why it matters

The account describes a polling-place equipment problem on election day that required a fallback procedure for submitting ballots. Reports like this one bring attention to how voting equipment failures are handled at the local level.

The evidence is a single voter's firsthand description of her Westchester County polling place on election day. The account does not include a count of affected machines or polling sites, and it is unclear whether the failure was isolated.

The players

Sunny Hostin

Sunny Hostin is a television personality and legal analyst best known as a co-host of ABC's The View.

The details

Sunny Hostin, 58, filled out her ballot at her Westchester County polling place before 7 a.m. When she went to submit it at a ballot machine, she was told to fold the ballot and place it in an orange bag because the machines were not working. She described the experience on The View on Tuesday, November 3.

Before 7 a.m. on election day: Hostin votes and is told the machines are not working.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Hostin describes the experience on The View.

Political Context

Election administration rules in many states require alternative ballot-handling procedures when voting machines malfunction, so that voters are not disenfranchised by equipment failures. Opposing viewpoints often focus on whether such fallback procedures maintain ballot security and chain of custody.

Voters who encounter a malfunctioning machine may be asked to place a completed ballot in a separate container rather than feeding it into the scanner. Checking with local election officials about how alternative ballots are handled can help voters understand what to expect at their polling place.

The takeaway

Equipment problems at polling places can change how a ballot is physically handled, so voters benefit from knowing the fallback procedures in their own county. Asking poll workers about alternative ballot methods before casting a vote can reduce confusion.