Two ballot drop boxes in Washington and Oregon were set on fire Monday. Officials said hundreds of ballots were destroyed.
San Diego County election officials said Tuesday that the registrar’s drop boxes are designed to keep ballots safe and secure.
Cynthia Paes, the County’s Registrar of Voters, said they’re made of high-grade stainless steel.
“This grade of stainless steel can resist scaling at very high temperatures above 1,800 degrees,” she said. “They are also weather-resistant and fire suppressant. The doors have weather stripping and all the seams are sealed, limiting the oxygen inside that could sustain a fire.”
Paes said ballot retrieval teams inspect drop boxes for signs of damage or tampering during their daily pickups.
“Each ballot drop box is designed to prevent physical damage and unauthorized access to the ballots inside,” she said. “The boxes feature double locking access doors, anti-pry door jambs and other anti-theft measures in the design itself.”
The registrar has received more than 530,000 ballots so far. About 30% of those were dropped off at drop boxes.
Paes said the first batch of results on election night will include mail-in ballots received prior to Election Day, plus votes cast during the 10 days of early voting. Results will be updated periodically as officials process in-person votes from Election Day.
Paes said mail-in ballots postmarked on or before Election Day can arrive at the registrar’s office up to seven days after Election Day and still be counted.
There are 39 vote centers now open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than 200 vote centers will be open Saturday through Monday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On Election Day, all vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Drop boxes will also close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
