Thunderstorms, some heavy during the morning hours, then skies turning partly cloudy during the afternoon. High around 85F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..
Tonight
A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
A USPS mail box sits Thursday morning next to Marshall’s. This particular box had been overflowing on Monday, leading to a question about the safety of mail-in ballots, a frequent topic of national discussion heading into November’s presidential election.
A special election drop box collects ballots in front of Marshall’s. Riley County clerk Rich Vargo said the county accepted 9,536 mail-in ballots in 2020, a 631% increase from the 2016 presidential election, when the county received 1,304.
A USPS mail box sits Thursday morning next to Marshall’s. This particular box had been overflowing on Monday, leading to a question about the safety of mail-in ballots, a frequent topic of national discussion heading into November’s presidential election.
A special election drop box collects ballots in front of Marshall’s. Riley County clerk Rich Vargo said the county accepted 9,536 mail-in ballots in 2020, a 631% increase from the 2016 presidential election, when the county received 1,304.
Q: When I tried to drop off mail at the USPS mail box in Westloop Plaza on Monday, it was so full someone could’ve easily reached in and taken out mail. I visited again after the mail box’s stated pickup time and it was even fuller. With the controversy about mail-in ballots and the election just a couple weeks away, how safe are our ballots?
A: Mail-in ballots have indeed been in the spotlight lately as some people, including President Donald Trump, have questioned their security. Some also have reported mail delays across the country amid new policy changes at the United States Postal Service, and both issues have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic as people have been utilizing those services more to avoid close physical contact with others.
However, numerous studies and reviews have said there is no indication of widespread wrongdoing or tampering with elections. In this particular case, local officials said this overstuffed mailbox was more of an isolated incident rather than an ongoing issue.
The local USPS office and the Riley County Clerk’s Office, which oversees the election process, were both notified of the situation not long after it was noticed.
“USPS staff told us many times people put items (that are) too large in the boxes to go all the way down, which makes them appear full, and USPS went out to fix the problem,” said Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo.
This was the first instance Vargo had heard of the issue, and he said USPS was “very responsive” in correcting the problem.
Mark Inglett, Kansas spokesman for the USPS, said he had not received any similar complaints or questions about this issue elsewhere, but he notified the local postmaster and would continue to monitor the situation.
Vargo said if people are still concerned about the possibility of an overly full mail box, there are a number of ways mail-in ballots can be retrieved or dropped off.
For one, there are seven official drop boxes scattered throughout Riley County, three of which are in Manhattan. One is in Westloop Plaza, between Marshalls and the JOANN Fabrics store, another is in the shopping center at 2000 Tuttle Creek Boulevard and the third is outside the Riley County office building at 110 Courthouse Plaza. Vargo said these drop boxes are secured to the concrete, as well as monitored 24/7 by security cameras.
Leonardville, Ogden and Riley have drop-off boxes at the respective city offices. Because Randolph does not have a city office, Sharp’s Short Shop has a drop box at its facility.
Mail carriers also pick up ballots inside residents’ mail boxes, and voters have the choice to drop them off at any polling location on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
You can submit a question to this column by e-mail to questions@themercury.com, or by regular mail to Questions, P.O. Box 787, Manhattan, KS 66505.
