Salem To Lock Ballot Drop Boxes At 1 P.M. On Halloween

SALEM, MA — Salem officials are locking down ballot drop boxes in the city on Halloween afternoon and night in response to a directive from the Secretary of State's office after a drop box was set on fire and ballots were damaged this weekend.

The Salem City Clerk's office said drop boxes will be locked down from 1 p.m. on Halloween until 9 a.m. the next morning. A ballot box was set on fire early Sunday morning, and Secretary of State Bill Gavin issued a directive on Tuesday to make sure ballot boxes are emptied before Halloween night to reduce the risk of vandalism and lost ballots.

Other North Shore communities are taking similar measures.

Beverly City Clerk Lisa Kent told Patch on Tuesday that city was shutting down drop boxes at 3 p.m. on Saturday, having cameras installed to monitor the drop boxes and is adding police patrols in the areas of drop boxes to reassure the public that ballots left in the boxes will be received and counted on Nov. 3.

"We met and talked about it," Kent said. "I think in Beverly we'd be OK. You just have to be careful."

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