Election Concerns Grow In Bergen County, N.J. After Dozens Of Mail-In Ballots Found Discarded In Dumpster
BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The U.S. Postal Service inspector general is investigating after blank election ballots were found among hundreds of pieces of mail in a New Jersey dumpster.
And that's not the only thing causing concern.
"To have that all go in the trash like that was, in my mind, really ridiculous," Howard Dinger told CBS2's Ali Bauman on Tuesday night.
Dinger said he was throwing some trash out in a North Arlington dumpster on Friday afternoon when under the lid he found piles of unopened mail, including dozens of blank mail-in ballots.
"The ballots are the ballots. The election is the election. It is what it is. But these people have legal notices and checks and God knows what they're expecting," Dinger said.
MORE: Campaign 2020: Tri-State Area Voter Guide For Nov. 3 General Election
North Arlington police brought in the USPS police, which collected all the mail that was found and said the mail has since been correctly delivered.
"I said, man, this thing is soaking wet. It must've been out in water, in pond or something," West Orange resident Julian Williams said.
Williams' election ballot was among the discarded. He said he received his two days later.
"I couldn't believe it. I thought that the security as far as the mail system and stuff like that was better than that. I didn't think anybody would take something and throw it by a dumpster or anything like that, especially since it's from the government," Williams said.
This isn't the only concern in Bergen County.
Nearly 7,000 Teaneck voters received mail-in ballots Monday with the wrong Congressional candidate. The county clerk said it was due to a computer mis-programming and they will be getting new ballots.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, all registered New Jersey voters automatically receive a vote-by-mail ballot.
When asked if he's still going to vote, Williams said, "Yes, I am definitely, regardless."
New Jersey voters can choose to mail their completed ballot, bring it directly to a poll worker on Election Day, or opt to vote in person.
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