By Paige Albright
Boston University News Service
Unprecedented events occurring this election cycle, including fires set to ballot drop boxes and sealed ballots falling out of a delivery truck, have ramped up questions surrounding mail-in voting more than ever before. With an election expected to be so close and claims of voting interference running rampant, keeping up to date with personal ballot status is imperative.
In the Pacific Northwest last week, multiple ballot drop boxes were set on fire. Officials are investigating crimes in Vancouver, Wa. and Portland, Or., which are suspected to be connected, as both incidents were caused by similar incendiary devices planted next to the boxes. In Oregon, most votes are cast non-traditionally. In the impacted county, only one percent of citizens vote in-person. Following the incident, 345 of the ballots destroyed have reportedly been traced back, with impacted individuals successfully requesting replacement ballots.
Federal intelligence has warned election officials of heightened threats due to the circulation of false claims stemming from the 2020 election and former President Trump’s claims that rigged mail voting cost him that election.
Before Tuesday, over 83 million votes were casted non-traditionally. Over 67 mail-in million ballots were requested, but as of 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, only 38 million of those mail-in ballots have been received and counted. With the exception of two U.S. states and Washington D.C., all voters can check the status of their ballot via their state’s website. VoteAmerica offers a comprehensive list of tracking sites for different states.
If issues arise with ballots posted in the mail, it is recommended to call local auditing offices for the next steps. In some situations, canceling existing mail-in ballots to vote in person is the best option; however, if this is not a viable option, there are not many other alternative procedures.
Some states count mail-in ballots received past election day, but most states require a mail-in ballot to be received by the time the polls close tonight. Immediately contacting local officials regarding issues is essential, as many states have strict deadlines to meet.
Check out BallotTrax. It is basically already a “lost and found” for mail ballots we built in 2009. We provide full life-cycle mail ballot tracking and voter notifications in 26 states and over 500 counties. Including Washington, DC and many counties in Illinois which are both often mentioned as not having any tracking services.