Box left at polling place didn’t contain ballots, officials say

They’re important gray boxes seen at each polling site, containers that are used to store people’s votes. Poll workers later remove the ballots, and leave the boxes at polling sites for pickup.

On Thursday, two days after Election Day, teacher Lakeisha Sorey spotted one of these boxes at Sunshine Elementary School in Miramar — and worried ballots might still be inside. But that’s not the case, a Broward County elections official says.

Just like other boxes, this container in question held supplies, not ballots, said Dozel Spencer, Broward’s director of voting equipment center operations.

Speaking to reporters Thursday night, Spencer said these boxes are used to hold provisional ballots. And when polls close, the ballots are transferred to a zippered bag and taken to the elections warehouse in Lauderhill.

Spencer displayed one of the boxes to show how the ballot-free boxes then double as a place to store an inventory of items, such as “vote here” signs, pens, envelopes, extension cords or election manuals.

They remain at polling sites with the election machines and other equipment until they’re picked up by the Broward elections office. “We pick up all our supplies,” Spencer said. “It takes eight days to deliver everything [to polling sites]. There’s no way I could pick up everything in two days.”

Sorey said she had seen the box about 3 p.m. Thursday, in the same area where voting had been held, and figured she wouldn’t meddle with it. “I didn’t want to touch it,” Sorey said.

Sorey took a photo of the large gray bin with a slot on top and a paper affixed to its side that reads, “Provisional Ballot Box.” All such boxes have that sign on one side, and on the other side, they read, “Supply Box.”

Seeking help, Sorey had phoned her friend, State Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, a close confidante of gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum.

It concerned Jones, too, given that Florida is heading toward multiple recounts. Several races could be decided by narrow margins, including the Senate race between Gov. Rick Scott and incumbent Bill Nelson. “I’m hoping someone will at least go verify and make sure there are no ballots inside the box,” Jones said Thursday afternoon.

Citing such concern, a reporter asked Spencer, “There were never any ballots left at a school?”

“Correct,” Spencer replied.

COURTESY OF LAKEISHA SOREY Teacher Lakeisha Sorey says she found this locked ballot box at Sunshine Elementary School on Thursday.