Contra Costa Elections Division reports dozens of ballots missing from Richmond drop box

“We have been able to confirm receipt of many of the ballots deposited into that box on the 12th but not all of them.”

“These concerns and reports are not widespread.”

By Scott O. Konopasek, Assistant Registrar of Voters

We are aware of reports by dozens of voters, and claims on social media, that they deposited their ballot into the Richmond City Hall drop box on October 12th and the County has not been able to confirm receipt of the ballot. These reports are limited to this site and date.

Our records document that the box was serviced and ballots retrieved by a two person team each day. We have been able to confirm receipt of many of the ballots deposited into that box on the 12th but not all of them. We have conducted an internal investigation and review of documents and processes and have not identified a cause for the complaints. We will continue to investigate throughout the election and canvass period.

We are taking the voters’ concerns seriously and we have tracked comments on NextDoor and have proactively reached out to the voters and advised them of their options for casting their votes for this election. We have re-issued ballots to many of the voters and advised others on the in-person voting options in their area.

Because voters returned their ballots early and used the various ballot tracking tools available, this office has been able to identify and resolve many ballot issues in advance of Election Day. Voters who want to verify receipt of their ballot can use the “Track My Vote by Mail” feature on our website, www.cocovote.us, or call our office at 925.335.7800.

These concerns and reports are not widespread. These reports are limited to dozens of voters using one box on one date. Nearly 150,000 ballots have been securely returned from ballot drop boxes from across the County so far. For more information, call 925-335-7800.

In a post on the Elections Division Twitter feed on Wednesday they wrote, “With an estimated 355,000 ballots received, we’ve surpassed the total number of ballots cast in March 2020 (330,514). We’ve also made it to 50% turnout! #cocovote“

For more details see NBC BayArea news report.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.