Police Escorts Safeguard PA Ballots on Election Night
Police escorts, sealed containers, and meticulous chain of custody documentation are among the measures Pennsylvania counties will be using to ensure ballot security after polls close on Election Day.
Officials employ vigorous protocols to ensure the secure transportation of ballots from polling places to election offices after polls close.
As the fifth-most populous state, Pennsylvania holds 19 critical electoral votes, making it the largest of the seven key swing states in national elections.
In Berks County, poll workers transport ballots in sealed boxes to the county elections office, where they are stored in a secure room.
How Do Police Officers Secure Ballots?
In Philadelphia police officers travel to polling places across the city after the polls close and "collect those ballots to be transported back to our headquarters at the end of the night," confirmed Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein, who serves on the board that oversees elections in the city.
"Each precinct is given a large canvas bag, and the containers that hold the ballots are placed into that bag and transported by the police," Bluestein said.
How Strict Is Ballot Security?
Likewise, in Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, strict measures are in place to ensure ballot security once polls close.
Poll workers transport ballots in locked, sealed bags to regional reporting centers, where results are recorded. From there, county police provide an escort to a secure warehouse, where the ballots are stored in locked cages under continuous, 24-hour surveillance.
Poll workers and county election officials rely on chain of custody documentation to meticulously track ballot transfers from polling places to secure county facilities.
In Allegheny County, officials use these forms to verify the exact number of used and unused ballots returned by poll workers.
Seals on ballot transport bags are also be inspected by officials to confirm they remain intact, adding another layer of security to the process.
Drop Box Collection
Counties using ballot drop boxes for collecting mail-in and absentee ballots follow similarly stringent security protocols.
In Berks County, for instance, sheriff's deputies oversee the county's three drop boxes throughout the day. When it's time to empty the boxes, which are secured by four locks, election officials will unlock two of them, while deputies unlock the remaining two, ensuring a coordinated and secure process for ballot collection.
Officials then carefully remove the ballots from the drop boxes, count them, and record the tally on a custody sheet.
The ballots are then be placed in a sealed box for secure transport back to the county's processing center, maintaining a clear and documented chain of custody throughout the process.
Philadelphia operates 34 ballot drop boxes, which are emptied daily and twice on Election Day by election workers. To secure the ballots, workers use sealed bags for transportation and complete a chain of custody form, which they sign upon returning the ballots. This process ensures strict accountability and security at every stage of ballot handling.
"The transportation of ballots is done in a secure, controlled manner, and the public should have confidence in the integrity of that ballot collection process," Bluestein said.
This includes reporting from The Associated Press
