Voter finds keys left inside lock of LA County ballot drop-off box

The Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters is trying to figure out how keys to an official ballot drop-off box were left inside the lock Tuesday.

According to the Registrar, a person returning their ballot stumbled upon the key dangling from the lock and immediately reported it. 

"Thanks to the immediate actions taken by the voter to contact our office, we coordinated and secured the pick-up of the keys," said L.A. County Registrar Dean Logan. "There is no indication that the box was opened or that there was any interference prior to retrieving the keys and securing the box."

Following this lapse in protocols, the registrar said that it taking the matter seriously and are "taking corrective action." 

"All ballot retrieval teams have been informed of the incident with reinforcement to follow all pickup protocols and to follow checklist requirements," said Logan.

With Election Day just a week away, other regions like Orange County have set up rigorous security measures to make sure drop boxes stay safe. Registrar of Voters Bob Page said that the two-person teams tasked with retrieving ballots are given random routes every day as a safety measure.

To provide transparency to residents, Page has offered the public to see how ballots are processed and counted.

"Our processes are transparent," he said. "They can come and observe what we do  — all through the election process. We have some live streaming as well that shows our operation so they know when we are actually processing ballots. We put out a daily calendar on our website so they know what activities we are going to be doing."

Los Angeles County residents can check the status of their Vote By Mail Ballot here.