Officials report that there is “no evidence of tampering” after mail ballots were found unattended near Minneapolis.
After a photo circulated on social media showing nearly a dozen boxes of ballots left unattended, Hennepin County, Michigan, officials issued a statement on Friday asserting that there was “no evidence of tampering” during the time the ballots were unattended.
Images shared by local Republican Party officials and supporters of former President Donald Trump depicted an election worker’s open car trunk filled with ballot boxes outside Edina City Hall. They used this incident to question the security of mail-in voting.
The election worker has since been fired, and county officials released 18 minutes of surveillance footage on YouTube, demonstrating that no one tampered with the ballots while they were left unattended for approximately nine minutes in an open trunk in the parking lot.
Officials confirmed that all ballots in the boxes were fully accounted for and emphasized that there was “no evidence of tampering” with the seals on the ballot boxes. They also stated that all individual ballots remained “in sealed condition,” indicating that no one had attempted to open the ballots or alter any votes.
“Hennepin County acknowledges that this lapse in protocol occurred, should not have happened, and is unacceptable. Corrective actions have been taken by the county and its courier to prevent any recurrence,” officials said in a statement on Saturday.
Experts affirm that mail-in voting is secure, with paper trails and multiple safeguards in place to prevent fraud, despite former President Trump’s long-standing claims of widespread fraud within the system.
In the competitive state of Georgia, Democrats emphasize the importance of energizing their grassroots efforts.
With just over two weeks until Election Day, Democrats in Georgia are campaigning vigorously across the state.
Thousands are expected to gather at the Lakewood Amphitheatre, a concert venue in Atlanta, for a rally on Saturday evening featuring Vice President Kamala Harris alongside R&B star Usher.
“At this stage, it’s all about generating enough energy to mobilize voters,” said Fred Hicks, a Democratic strategist based in Georgia. “If she can secure Georgia, it makes it nearly impossible for Trump to win. If she loses Georgia, then everything is uncertain.”
Hicks emphasized that directly engaging Black voters in the Peach State is crucial for a Democratic victory.
“I believe there was a wake-up call in the last week to ten days, prompting a shift in focus to solidify the base, which predominantly consists of Black voters,” he noted.
