A batch of 92 undelivered ballots ended up in a dumpster at Golden Gardens this week.
King County Elections says a voter called its customer service line earlier this week saying they found two bins of mail, including the 92 ballots, in a dumpster at Golden Gardens. King
“Unfortunately, mail theft happens and does not seem to slow down for election season,” Halei Watkins, King County Elections Communications Manager told My Ballard by email.
“We tend to hear about a handful of incidents of where ballots are tossed after mail theft in each big election. What we consistently hear from our partners in law enforcement, and is evidenced by the fact they were left behind, is that ballots are typically not the target in mail theft,” she said.
Watkins says King County reported the incident to USPS for investigation, and have reissued ballots to all impacted voters.
“One thing that’s important to know is that the security to ensure only a registered voter votes their ballot happens on the back-end when we verify the voters’ signature and that they haven’t already returned a ballot,” Watkins said.
If you haven’t received your ballot yet, you can call King County Elections at 206-296-8683, or request a replacement online. And if you find ballots in places they shouldn’t be, you can reach out to King County at elections@kingcounty.gov or 206-296-8683. Watkins says to include photos if possible along with details about where they were found so they can reissue ballots and report it to USPS.
Ballard has two ballot drop boxes. One is at the Ballard Library at the corner of NW 57th St and 22nd Ave NW (named the busiest drop box in Seattle in years past), and the other is at the Crown Hill Safeway at 8340 15th Ave NW. The next closest drop box is in Phinney Ridge at the corner of N 62nd St and Phinney Ave N. Here’s a map of drop boxes around the city.
Photo: King County Elections
