A woman in Maine says that her latest Amazon package came with hundreds of blank ballots for the upcoming state election.
According to ABC News, "The Newburgh woman, who asked not to be identified, said she ordered coffee, rice and paper plates from the virtual shopping giant, but when she opened her package this week, she found hundreds of blank state ballots for the upcoming elections next month, state officials confirmed to ABC News."
It is unclear how the mistake occurred, but the package reportedly showed signs of having been opened and retaped.
The bemused woman handed over the ballots at the town office, and the matter is under investigation by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
“Safe and secure elections are my top priority," said Bellows in a statement. "As soon as we became aware of allegations of ballots being received outside of the appropriate chain of custody, I immediately initiated an investigation through my Secretary of State’s law enforcement division. Law enforcement is working diligently to determine who is responsible, and they will be held accountable. We will not stop until we have answers.”
Election systems in the United States are rigorously secured, but ballots being handled improperly happen on occasion. Last year, concerned citizens in Florida's Miami-Dade County discovered containers of hundreds of cast and tabulated ballots that had fallen off the back of a mail truck after the driver failed to secure the door properly.