A San Diego ballot box was left on the street for more than a week after Election Day
A San Diego County ballot drop box sat on the side of the road for more than a week after Election Day, sparking outrage from local residents who worried their ballots had been misclassified.
An official ballot box was still standing Friday on Hilton Head Road near the entrance to Hilton Head County Park in Rancho San Diego, days after the June 2 election ended.
Another resident, Stephanie Melaney, said she was surprised to see the box untouched when she first saw it on Thursday.
“To me, it was very scary that there was a ballot box still there at this time, and it wasn’t taken,” Melaney told CBS.
His main concern is whether voters who use drop boxes can be sure that their votes have been collected.
“If any of the neighbors cast a vote here, are you sure that it has been picked up, or is it still sitting,” he said.
The concern prompted a response from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, who insisted that ballots were verified on election night.
According to the office, the drop box was available for use from May 5 to June 2 and closed at 8 pm on Election Day. Election workers then collect all the ballots from the box that same evening, the spokesman said.
Officials insisted that the container itself was empty and locked, even though it had been there for several days.
The Registrar’s office said temporary drop boxes installed in county parks are usually removed during elections but secured with heavy chains and placed on concrete pads or other immovable materials to prevent theft or tampering.
Election officials added that it is unusual for some boxes to remain in place for a while after voting closes and said the Rancho San Diego box was supposed to be removed Friday afternoon.
Melaney, however, said she believes the box should have disappeared sooner.
“It was supposed to be taken on June 2 at night,” he said.
He also questioned whether the location – near the entrance to the park instead of a crowded building – was right.
The Registrar’s Office defended the placement, saying the design and location of all county drop boxes meet accessibility requirements and safety standards.
The same drop box location is expected to return before San Diego County’s Nov. 3 general election.
