With just a week to go until Election Day, two ballot boxes in Washington and Oregon were set on fire Monday, damaging hundreds of ballots.
In Wisconsin, ballot drop boxes are back for the November election, following a two-year period where the state Supreme Court had ruled the practice was illegal. Though authorities have said the ballot box fires on the Pacific Northwest indicate a deliberate attempt to disrupt the electoral process, there have been no reports of drop box tampering in Wisconsin.
In Milwaukee, the Election Commission has multiple security measures in place to protect ballot drop boxes. Ballots placed in these boxes are also routinely collected and transported to a counting center.
Here’s how ballot drop boxes — and the votes inside them — are kept safe and secure in Milwaukee.
How often are ballot drop boxes emptied?
Drop box ballots are picked up every day, sometimes several times a day, until Election Day, according to Election Commission Executive Director Paulina Gutiérrez.