MALDEN, MASS. (WHDH) - A ballot box with a paper sign in Malden has been replaced after it sparked confusion among residents who opted to vote early by mail.
Dropping a ballot in an election drop box is a choice many are making this year rather than depending on the speed of the United States Postal Service or coming into contact with a poll worker amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Voters in Malden were puzzled when they found a piece of printer paper taped to a ballot box outside the city’s police department that read, “Mail-In Voting Ballot Box.”
Voter Killian Jampierre said she immediately questioned the legitimacy of the box.
“I couldn’t really tell that other one from a normal box,” Jampierre noted.
Malden City Clerk Greg Lucey said officials opted to temporarily post a handmade sign because the box arrived with no lettering on it.
“That box got put there on Friday afternoon. When it came it had no lettering on it,” Lucey explained.
A spokesperson for the Secretary of the Commonwealth said the sign was completely acceptable because the collection site was clearly marked.
In Medford, lawn signs have been installed to direct voters to drop boxes. Boxes in Somerville are painted with bright colors, while the ones in Boston are wrapped in a printed graphic.
Alex Psilakis, of MassVote, said all of the drop boxes that are being used in the state are designed to guard against an array of tampering techniques.
To find a dropbox location near you, click here.
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