Secretary of State’s office working to keep Georgia’s drop-off ballot boxes safe

ATLANTA — Arson attacks on ballot boxes out west raise the question, could it happen here in Georgia?

Georgia is a battleground state which heightens concerns about election security.

“We can’t sleep because we know these folks aren’t sleeping,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne spoke one-on-one with Raffensperger. He says his team has been tracking arson fires at ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington State, but he says Georgia has built-in safeguards.

“More than anyone the battleground states are probably the best prepared for this,” Raffensperger told Winne.

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Absentee ballot boxes are inside buildings and are available only during normal business hours. Plus they are monitored by video surveillance and polling location employees who keep an eye on them.

“I think the idea that someone would actually come in and do that during working hours is a whole different level of destruction, vandalism and mayhem. And so I think we’re somewhat sheltered from that,” Raffensperger said.

The secretary of state said he is aware of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security bulletin warning of an online discussion. The bulletin stated in part that “Multiple users replied and encouraged destroying voting machines by using incendiaries or explosives, or smashing them with aluminum bats, wood bats, tire irons, and sledgehammers.”

“That’s why when you show up at a local precinct, like when Tricia and I went out to vote early on Day 2, there’s a police vehicle there. And so you’ll probably find that at all 2,400 precincts on Election Day,” Raffensperger told Winne.

Raffensperger said there are also other security measures in place.

Many counties are offering workers a lanyard with a panic button to press in case of emergency, as well as a see-something-say-something texting tool.

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