Voters beware: Unauthorized Drop Boxes may not be safe or secure

Madera County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Rebecca Martinez sent out an urgent message to voters Friday regarding their vote by mail ballot.

“Voting by mail is safe. Dropping your ballot in an official Madera County Drop Box is safe, and returning them to a Vote Center is safe, too,” said Martinez. “What voters should question is handing their ballots over to someone they do not know, like a stranger that comes to their door. I also caution voters to be leery of boxes that are not official ballot boxes.”

The County Elections Division has recently learned that organizations and individuals may be deploying unauthorized drop boxes. These boxes often do not meet the legal requirements of a drop box, and are not secured or under video surveillance. Any ballots deposited in them are not retrieved by deputized election officials.