The Thurston County Auditor’s Office reassures voters that their ballots are secure, it said in a press release.
“Thurston County has been proactive in ensuring the safety of our ballots. We’ve equipped our ballot drop boxes with fire suppression devices,” according to the auditor. “These are the same devices used in the ballot drop boxes in Multnomah County [Oregon], which were instrumental in minimizing the impact of the recent fire.”
Ballot drop boxes in the county are built with thick, quarter-inch steel and are anchored to the ground, making them incredibly durable and resistant to tampering, explained the auditor. They also weigh hundreds of pounds, which the office claims the design has proven resilient even under extreme conditions.
Addressing recent ballot box arson incidents, the office is adding extra ballot pickup routes to ensure ballots are collected safely and promptly and will have ballot drop box collection teams followed by Thurston County Sheriff Deputies to provide added security.
“We offer a secure, indoor ballot drop box at our Voting Centers, located at 2915 29th Ave SE, Tumwater, WA, 98512 in the Mottman neighborhood and at the Lacey Timberland Regional Library,” the county auditor said.
To check to see that your ballot has been received and accepted into the vote count, visit VoteWA.gov
“Transparency and trust are the cornerstones of our election process, and we are committed to protecting the integrity of your vote,” the auditor's office stated.
For more information, call 360-786-5224 or visit the elections website.
4 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
TomBoucher
Thanks! Been wondering. And don't know why boxes are such a big issue in the rest of the country after we've used them for years here no problem. Washington leads the way on many things. Glad I grew up and live here.
3 days ago Report this
tommull
Ditto TomBoucher! I remember when the mail in only ballot was new. 20 ish years now! I have great confidence in our Washington voting process. I would like to see Ranked Choice Voting being used and many of us are working on that. =)
3 days ago Report this
KellyOReilly
Thank you for including the link to check that our ballots have been received and accepted. I appreciate having the peace-of-mind that my ballot has been received.
3 days ago Report this
FayForward
Would like to know how often ballots are collected from the Ballot boxes?
3 days ago Report this