Behind the Ballot Box: How Clallam County Protects Your Vote
..."much of this work is performed by members of our own community who serve as election workers and observers. Their involvement provides an additional level of transparency and accountability throughout the election process.
By. R.E. Carlino, The Sequim Post
October 26, 2026 12:15 AM
With the November 3 general election approaching, Washington election officials are encouraging voters to use official ballot drop boxes as an alternative to mailing ballots, particularly amid concerns about delayed mail delivery and late postmarks.
As previously reported by The Sequim Post, Clallam County rejected 279 late-arriving ballots in the August 2026 primary, compared with 102 in the 2024 primary. Voters mailing their ballots close to Election Day can request a hand-applied postmark at the post office to verify that their ballots receive a timely postmark before entering the mail system.
But for voters concerned about vandalism, tampering, or the possibility of ballot boxes being damaged or destroyed, another question arises: How safe are ballots once they are deposited in an official ballot drop box?
Ian Hillway, elections manager for the Clallam County Auditor's Office, provided The Sequim Post with a detailed explanation of the county's security measures and the people responsible for collecting and protecting ballots.
How secure are the ballot boxes?
Clallam County's official ballot drop boxes are constructed of quarter-inch welded steel, securely mounted in concrete, and equipped with fire suppression devices.
The boxes are located in public areas, providing additional visibility. Members of the public and political party observers can also help by reporting suspicious activity or potential concerns to the Elections Office.
Hillway said the county has not implemented additional security measures specifically for the 2026 election, but its existing safeguards remain in place.
“We also have procedures and safeguards in place to help detect potential tampering and protect the security of ballots,” he said.
Those safeguards extend beyond the boxes themselves.
From the official ballot drop box to the courthouse
Ballot collection follows established procedures designed to document who handles ballots and how they are transported. According to Hillway, boxes are emptied regularly throughout the election, with the frequency determined by ballot volume. Higher-volume locations may be emptied daily, while others may be serviced every couple of days. As Election Day approaches, collections increase. Some high-volume boxes may be emptied more than once a day, including weekends.
“Ballots are collected by teams of two Clallam County employees who travel together to and from the courthouse and remain together throughout the collection and transportation process,” Hillway explained.
Collected ballots are placed in transport bags secured with numbered security seals. Employees maintain collection logs documenting the chain of custody. When the ballots arrive at the courthouse, another staff member verifies the logs and seals before the bags are opened for processing.
Ballot box security and damage response
The county has procedures for responding if a drop box is vandalized or ballots are damaged or destroyed. Hillway said the response would depend on the circumstances and the condition of the affected ballots. “Through our established chain-of-custody procedures and collection logs, we would know when the drop box was last emptied, allowing us to establish an approximate timeframe during which ballots may have been affected.”
If ballots were damaged or destroyed, the county would notify the public of the affected location and timeframe and provide instructions for voters who may have used that box. Those voters could contact the Elections Office to check whether their ballot had been received and, if necessary, request a replacement ballot.
“Our priority would be to identify potentially affected voters and ensure they have an opportunity to cast their ballots in accordance with state law,” Hillway said.
Hillway emphasized that election security involves more than protecting ballot boxes. Clallam County uses paper ballots, and all ballot processing and tabulation take place locally. Its tabulation equipment is not connected to the internet. Before each election, the county conducts logic and accuracy testing to verify that its equipment records and counts votes correctly. Following Election Day, post-election audits compare selected paper ballots with the tabulated results.
“Equally important, much of this work is performed by members of our own community who serve as election workers and observers,” Hillway said. “Their involvement provides an additional level of transparency and accountability throughout the election process.”
“Election security isn’t dependent on any single safeguard,” he added. “It’s the combination of procedures, testing, audits, and oversight that helps ensure ballots are handled securely and votes are counted accurately.”
Checking ballot status and resolving signature issues
According to Hillway, the most common reasons ballots are challenged are missing signatures or signatures that do not match those on file.
“When a signature issue is identified, our Elections Office promptly mails the voter a letter explaining the issue and providing instructions on how to correct it,” he said.
If the voter does not respond, a second letter is mailed. The Elections Office also attempts to contact voters by phone or email when that information is available.
Voters can check their ballot status at VoteWA.gov and sign up for text alerts about their ballot. Depending on the number of ballots received, it may take several days for ballot status information to be updated.
If several days have passed since depositing or mailing a ballot and its status has not changed, voters may contact the Clallam County Elections Office at 360-417-2221 or elections@clallamcountywa.gov.⬥
