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Election news
October 26, 2008
Election judges leave polling site unlocked
A Travis County polling place was left unattended for a short time Saturday evening, but election officials said all ballots and voting booths were secure.
The incident, reported by a voter at the Travis County Juvenile Probation Annex polling site, occurred because of a miscommunication between election staff and the worker responsible for locking the facility, Travis County election officials said. On Sunday, officials determined that no tampering had taken place thanks to several additional safeguards that had been taken to ensure security.
Officials said deputy sheriff or constables daily pick up locked ballot boxes and return them to elections offices where they are stored under video surveillance and sealing. Voting booths, too, are locked and monitored.
“The ballot box already had been removed by law enforcement, and the voting booths sealed and locked down,” Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvior said in a statement Sunday. Officials said the seals on the voting booths were also intact. “We verified the security of all of the equipment and have taken steps to improve communication and make sure that everyone is fully aware of their responsibilities.”
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