Skip to content

PoliticsBreaking

Polling places in several US states report voting machine problems on election day

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly left-leaning (67%).

6 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Poll workers at a gym check-in table beside a black voting machine labeled New Castle school.
Image via Al Jazeera EnglishHow images are chosenReport this image

Polling places across several US states reported voting machine and ballot problems on Tuesday, election day in the midterm elections, according to The Guardian, Al Jazeera English and Just the News. In Westchester County, New York, machines were unable to scan some paper ballots at polling locations, and voters were told to use emergency ballots that would be counted later, officials said. The Guardian also reports that as many as 250,000 ballots at 332 polling locations were affected. Individual reports describe a Kansas polling place that ran out of ballots, a Georgia request to rescan more than 1,000 early votes after scanner malfunctions, and extended hours at several North Carolina sites. Officials describe the problems as minor.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Technical problems were reported at a handful of polling locations on election day in the midterm elections.

    Reported byLeft2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian, Al Jazeera English
    Far Right
    Just the News

  2. In Westchester County, New York, voting machines could not scan some paper ballots, and voters were directed to emergency ballots to be counted later.

    Reported byLeft2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian, Al Jazeera English
    Far Right
    Just the News

  3. Westchester County’s county executive said people were still able to vote.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Far Right
    Just the News

  4. Officials requested permission to rescan more than 1,000 early votes in Georgia after malfunctions with two scanners.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  5. A Kansas polling place ran out of ballots after officials cited a county clerk error.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  6. Election officials said voting hours would be extended at five sites in four North Carolina counties after technical problems.

    One outletJust the News· Far Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports technical problems at polls on election day, most notably in Westchester County, New York, where scanners rejected some paper ballots. Left coverage stresses smooth voting with minor glitches, while the right-side coverage, from a single outlet, lists problems across several states.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left-side headlines stress that voting went smoothly, framing the problems as a handful of minor issues, while a question headline asks where the technical issues occurred.

    US midterm voting goes smoothly with only a handful of issues nationwide
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    1 outlet

    Right-side coverage comes from one outlet, Just the News, rated Far Right, whose headline neutrally says several states reported technical issues at polls on election day.

    Several states report technical issues at polls on Election Day
    Just the NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read 4 of the 6 articles in context when it wrote the analysis. Straight reporting often has none.

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • voting went relatively smoothly
  • a handful of minor issues
  • emergency ballots let people keep voting

Leaves out

  • technical problems in Massachusetts precincts
  • extended voting hours at North Carolina sites

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    US midterm voting goes smoothly with only a handful of issues nationwide

    Voting machine issues affected Westchester county, New York, but emergency ballots were provided to voters US midterm elections – live updates Track live results from all 50 states Voting in US midterm elections took place relatively smoothly nationwide on Tuesday, with only a …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • Al Jazeera EnglishLeft

    Where have there been technical issues so far during US midterm elections?

    Some polling stations have experienced vote-delaying issues that officials describe as being minor.

    Read at Al Jazeera English (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • problems spread across several states
  • voting machines stopped accepting ballots in Westchester County
  • issues in Massachusetts and North Carolina
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it
Embed

Show this story’s coverage card on your own site, blog or class page. It has the headline, who is covering it and a link back here, and it tracks nobody. See the card

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page