US EditionMaine is investigating a claim that bundles of ballots ended up in a resident’s Amazon order
The misdelivery of 250 authentic ballots raises concerns over election security and chain-of-custody breaches weeks before a high-stakes voter ID referendum, authorities said.
- Last week, Ellsworth, Maine reported missing 250 absentee ballots while a Newburgh, Maine resident found 250 ballots in an Amazon delivery and turned them over to officials.
- Under state law, ballots must be printed on secure paper, shipped sealed, and delivered under chain-of-custody rules, while the Maine Secretary of State's Office oversees their distribution.
- Investigators say the Maine Secretary of State's law enforcement division, FBI, and state authorities are probing after election officials found sealed packages of 50 ballots deemed legal, while Amazon said the package was tampered with outside its network.
- Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows faces conservative media pressure over missing ballots as Question 1 would tighten voter ID and absentee voting before the 2026 gubernatorial race.
103 Articles
103 Articles
Middlebury grad under fire in Maine election snafu
By Ted Cohen A Vermont college grad is under the gun in Maine for an unfolding election-ballot scandal. Middlebury College grad Shenna Bellows is the elections chief in Maine. As secretary of state, Bellows oversees all elections in the Pine Tree State. Bellows announced Monday that she is doing her best to investigate how 250 election ballots ended up in an Amazon box at a Newburgh, Maine resident’s home. “I cannot discuss the details of the la…
Amid ongoing investigation into found ballots, Sec. Bellows underscores Maine election security
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows holds up a ballot given to students in statewide mock elections held Oct. 29, 2024, a week before Election Day. (Photo by Eesha Pendharkar/ Maine Morning Star)Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is confident law enforcement will ultimately uncover why 250 official ballots were allegedly delivered to a Newburgh home in an Amazon package. She also said the incident underscored that Maine’s processes work…
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