Fresno County election workers left behind a key when they collected ballots from a drop box, a county spokesperson said.

A member of the public found the key, left near the box at Fancher Creek Elementary School at 5948 E. Tulare Ave. in southeast Fresno at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Election workers had picked up ballots at 10 a.m. that morning.

“Upon learning about this issue, the (election) Department immediately sent staff to secure the Ballot Drop Box and the materials inside. The Ballot Drop Box was removed from service and all materials within the Ballot Drop Box were safely returned to the Elections Department Warehouse for processing,” spokesperson Sonja Dosti said in an email.

The box will be out of service until a new lock can be installed. The nearest box is at Sunnyside Library at the corner of East Kings Canyon and South Clovis avenues.

The county said this is the first time — after 10,000 collections — that a drop box was unsecured. Dosti said the lost key was caused by “human error.”

The county has 67 drop boxes (map here), with a team of two collecting every day and bringing the ballots back to the election warehouse.

“The team that made the error … has been relieved of their Ballot Drop Box servicing duties,” Dosti said. 

Clerk/Registrar of Voters James Kus said “it was very surprising” for veteran workers to make such a mistake. They will be reassigned.

Kus said they are not aware of any ballots missing. The county said any voters concerned about ballots dropped in the box should call the Clerk/Registrar of Voters office at (844) 977-8683.

Drop Box Protocol

Earlier this month, Kus provided GV Wire a tour of the elections warehouse and discussed how drop boxes are secured, and how ballots are collected and returned to the warehouse.

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Teams of two make daily runs to all the drop boxes to collect ballots, usually in the morning. The teams place the ballots in what looks like a medium-sized black suitcase, specifically numbered to match the drop box. The case is sealed over the zipper with an identifying tag. Information includes who is picking up the ballots, which box the ballots came from, and how many ballots are collected.

When crews return to the warehouse with physical ballots, the cases are placed inside an enclosed cage area to be opened. Staff double-check the location of the drop box where the ballots came from, and how many are arriving.

“Because of this incident, the Department is requiring all staff members working with Ballot Drop Boxes to receive additional training on servicing Ballot Drop Boxes,” Dosti said.

Starting Friday, election staff will take photos to ensure the drop boxes are locked and keys accounted for. The county is also considering “alternate locking mechanisms … to prevent this type of incident from occurring in the future.”