by Catherine Smith
Election officials in Sacramento, California are asking voters not to disinfect or microwave mail-in ballots after the state received at least 100 ballots returned with damage, according to Just the News.
California voters are taking extreme measures to ensure their mail-in ballots are COVID germ-free. The registrar told KCRA News they have received at least 100 ballots damaged by disinfectant and alcohol spray. In one case, someone even microwaved their ballot in an attempt to get rid of any germs.
“Voters do not have to worry about contracting COVID from their mail-in ballots,” said Courtney Bailey-Kanelos, registrar of voters in Sacramento County.
Authorities warn voters that these actions could make the ballots unreadable to the electronic ballot-counting machines and prevent your vote from being counted.
“We understand if for the outgoing white envelope that you get that maybe the mail service carrier may have touched, you want to kind of hold that aside for 24 hours,” Bailey-Kanelos said. “Everything inside the pink return envelope, the ballots themselves, they have been inserted by a machine weeks ago, so they are safe.”
A new study says that the virus can stay on some surfaces for up to 28 days, which may further encourage similar drastic measures.
The office is working to issue new ballots to anyone who sent in or dropped off a damaged ballot.
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Catherine Smith reports for American Greatness.
Photo “Sacramento Voting” by Robert Couse-Baker CC BY 2.0.
