By Fatma Younis
Katie Miller, wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, amplified baseless election conspiracy theories on Tuesday after voting scanner problems were reported in Westchester County, New York. Miller shared a social media post from a voter experiencing difficulties, claiming it showed how "the Left steals elections" in Republican Rep. Mike Lawler's competitive congressional district.
Voting scanner issues reported
Election officials in Westchester County acknowledged problems with voting scanners not reading ballots properly. County Executive Ken Jenkins called the situation "unacceptable" and directed officials to monitor the voting process, assuring that every eligible voter would have the opportunity to cast a ballot and every vote would be counted. A bipartisan group will review the issues once resolved.
Social media post fuels claims
The controversy began when an X user named Ben Hort posted that he was initially unable to vote due to countywide machine problems and was told to return later or vote absentee. Hort's post received over 400,000 views after Miller shared it. Hort later clarified he was not turned away and a poll worker had misspoken about absentee ballots.
Criticism and fact-checking
Miller's characterization drew immediate criticism. Writer Amy Siskind called her "wildly irresponsible" for spreading known lies. Journalists including Tim Alberta of The Atlantic and Ben Smith of Semafor noted Westchester County is the most Democratic part of Lawler's district, which Kamala Harris carried by 26 points. Polling data from Zenith Polls supported this assessment.
