Editing Ballot box (section)

==Security==
Drop boxes allow voters to avoid having to use the mail service, and are generally more secure than mail boxes.<ref name=":2" /> In the 2010s, jurisdictions in the western United States, where voting by mail is commonplace, adopted secure ballot drop boxes capable of withstanding a range of risks, such as theft, vehicle collisions, arson, and inclement weather. One vendor manufactures a ballot box made of {{convert|1/4|inch|adj=mid||-thick}} steel, weighing from {{convert|600|to|1000|lb}}.<ref name="KCTS Santos">{{cite news|title=These ballot boxes keep your vote safe from fire, rain and rampaging SUVs|first=Melissa|last=Santos|publisher=[[KCTS-TV]]|date=October 17, 2019|accessdate=October 28, 2024|url=https://www.cascadepbs.org/2019/10/these-ballot-boxes-keep-your-vote-safe-fire-rain-and-rampaging-suvs}}</ref> [[Fire suppression system]]s may rely on fuse-triggered chemical agents<ref name="KCTS Santos" /><ref>{{cite news|title=A California ballot box was set on fire. Could that happen in the Boise area too?|first=Hayley|last=Harding|work=[[Idaho Statesman]]|location=Boise, Idaho|date=October 22, 2020|accessdate=October 28, 2024|url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article246582763.html}}</ref> or airtight designs that smother fires. Some jurisdictions require ballot drop boxes to contain such systems.<ref>{{cite news|title=Judge rejects attempt to ban use of ballot drop boxes|first=Howard|last=Fischer|publisher=[[KAWC-FM]]|location=Yuma, Arizona|date=April 26, 2024|accessdate=October 28, 2024|url=https://www.kawc.org/news/2024-04-26/judge-rejects-attempt-to-ban-use-of-ballot-drop-boxes}}</ref> In the event that a drop box's contents are damaged, authorities can identify affected voters by serial numbers and reissue ballots to them.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ballot boxes still safe for voting despite arson attacks in Portland and Vancouver|first=Kristian|last=Foden-Vencil|publisher=[[Oregon Public Broadcasting]]|location=Portland, Oregon|date=October 28, 2024|accessdate=October 28, 2024|url=https://www.opb.org/article/2024/10/28/ballot-box-fire-elections-vote-voters-boxes-arson-portland-vancouver-security/}}</ref>

Polling stations may use transparent ballot boxes in order for people to be able to witness that the box is empty prior to the start of the election, and not stuffed with fraudulent votes.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Smithsonian |last2=Nalewicki |first2=Jennifer |title=A Glass Ballot Box Was the Answer to Voter Fraud in the 19th Century |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/glass-ballot-box-was-answer-voter-fraud-19th-century-180976171/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref> This style of ballot boxes (specifically, glass ballot boxes) had become a staple in the United States by 1860, in the context of scandals around the use of false bottoms on election boxes.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Foutch |first=Ellery |title=The Glass Ballot Box and Political Transparency |url=https://commonplace.online/article/glass-ballot-box-political-transparency/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=Commonplace |language=en-US}}</ref> It fell out of use in the United States around the turn of the century, in favor of new voting machines users operated by turning a crank.<ref name=":0" /> They are still in use occasionally in other countries, including France.<ref name=":0" />