
Utah Officials Explain Ballot Box Security Amid Arson Reports
Utah officials are reassuring residents of ballot box security as reports of arson surface out of Oregon and Washington.
Utah state law requires all unmanned ballot boxes to be under 24-hour surveillance to prevent any suspicious activity.
The reason many are worried about ballot box security is due to two reports of arson in the Pacific Northwest.
The Associated Press provided details on the crimes through an article written by Christina A. Cassidy and Ali Swenson.
The Associated Press said, “Two ballot drop boxes in the Pacific Northwest were damaged in a suspected arson attack just over a week before Election Day, destroying hundreds of ballots at one location in Vancouver, Washington. At the other, in neighboring Portland, Oregon, it appears a fire suppression system worked to contain the blaze and limited the number of ballots damaged to three. Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage as they try to identify who is responsible.”
Authorities in the area said incendiary devices were the cause of the fires in Portland and Vancouver. There’s also evidence the fires were connected to a similar accident in Washington on Oct. 8.
It appears only three ballots were damaged in Portland, but the residents of Vancouver weren’t so lucky.
The Associated Press said, “In Vancouver, hundreds of ballots were lost at a ballot box at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center when the drop box’s fire suppression system did not work as intended. Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said the box was last emptied at 11 a.m. Saturday. Voters who dropped their ballots there afterward are being urged to contact the office to get a new one.”
To combat the loss of such ballots, officials will collect the ballots on a more frequent basis so they aren’t left in the box overnight when these types of vandalism tend to occur.
You can read more about the situation through the Associated Press.
Utah Burglars Will Always Find These Places!
Gallery Credit: Elle Cabrera
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