Undelivered mail ballots found in dumpster as Election Day nears

RENTON, Wash. (KING) — An election-related problem was discovered and addressed by officials Friday in Washington state.

Eleven days before Election Day, Renton voter Jose Laraque is already turning in his ballot.

“If anyone has a question if voting is important or not, all you have to do is look in history,” Laraque said.

Laraque used one of roughly 100 ballot drop boxes across King County. Election officials said ballots deposited in the drop boxes go directly to their Renton facility, where hundreds of workers help process them.

“If you put it in a ballot drop box it’s going right into our hands,” said Kendall Hodson, with King County Elections.

Ballots found in dumpster

That direct route is getting new attention after 92 undelivered ballots were discovered in a dumpster near Seattle’s Golden Gardens Park earlier this week.

“Understandably alarming and the system is designed to make sure no one can take advantage of that,” Hodson said.

Election officials reported the discovery to Seattle police and the U.S. Postal Service.

The ballots had never reached their intended voters. All 92 have since been invalidated and replacements have been issued.

“This is generally mail theft is what is actually going on, and what we know from our law enforcement partners is that the target is almost never the actual ballots, and that’s why we see them left behind in these cases,” Hodson said.

Security measures in place

King County Elections said it sees a handful of similar cases during major elections.

Officials said possession of a blank ballot isn’t enough to cast a fraudulent vote. Each returned ballot is checked against voter registration records, screened for duplicate voting and has its signature verified.

“Those ballots out in the world isn’t a security threat, it’s not an opportunity for voter fraud,” Hodson said.

For Laraque, the discovery is a reminder of why he believes every vote matters.

“When you see that, if nothing else, don’t get discouraged. Instead, say, ‘I need to get out there and vote and tell everyone where you can safely vote, so that your voice can be heard and your voice can be cast,’” Laraque said.

Officials said voters who have not received their ballots can call King County Elections to request assistance.