How King County Elections is keeping ballots safe

With the clock ticking down to election day, ballot box security has become the big talking point across our region. Local officials insist Washington's system is solid. Fox 13's Shira Matsuzawa takes you inside the King County Elections Office to see how workers are keeping your ballots safe. King County Elections Headquarters, they're hard at work verifying and processing election ballots. But before the ballots get here, they first start here. So the most important thing for voters to know right now is the best way to return their ballot is through one of our 100 drop boxes located across King County. Haley Watkins is the communications manager at King County Elections. Those drop boxes are incredibly secure, they're made out of steel. Bolted into the cement, they have no pry points, multiple locking mechanisms, and they are even equipped with sensors. Watkins adds those sensors are new this year and will let their team know in real time if there are any heat impacts or any other issues. And if you're worried about your ballot being tampered with on its way to the election's headquarters. Ballots are never alone with a human, they are always handled in teams of two by trained and experienced election administrators. From safeguards at the drop boxes to safeguards at the election headquarters, Watkins says Those safeguards are in place to ensure every vote is counted accurately. We also do all of this work under the watchful eye of observers. We welcome observers from both major political parties and non-partisan observers. Back at headquarters, the gloves are on as workers open each ballot. This group opened 17,000 ballots in just a few hours. And as an added layer of security, the National Guard is also roving around various drop boxes, providing extra ears and eyes to ensure things go smoothly. In Ballard, Shira Matz is out of Fox 13 News. Our state secretary of state also gave us a statement about election security efforts for the midterms. Secretary Steve Hobbs wrote, quote, our democracy depends on every eligible voter having the opportunity to have their vote counted. I want voters to rest assured that in this state, your vote, your election system is secure, accessible, and transparent. Election officials implement security at every step of the election process. If you haven't voted yet, we recommend you use an official ballot drop box to return your ballot before 8 p.m. on election day.