FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2022
PORT ORCHARD – The Kitsap County Auditor's Office received several reports of an individual saying they were prevented from depositing their ballot into a drop box at a school district facility. Details received included that a person blocked the ballot box with their car and told them that they were collecting ballots by hand. The story being circulated is that the voter refused to turn the ballot over, that there was a dispute, the car sped off, narrowly missed two pedestrians, the voter called 911 and was refused assistance by a deputy sheriff.
At our request Kitsap County Sheriff's Office investigated the report and reported that there was no record of a 911 call ever being made to report such an incident.
The Kitsap County Auditor's Office reminds voters that while drop boxes are open our ballot collection teams will never prevent you from depositing a ballot into a drop box yourself. They can offer assistance when requested but will not prevent you from depositing a ballot yourself.
The only time a ballot collection team would have you hand the ballot to them is if you arrive to the ballot drop box after 8 p.m. on Election Day. At that point they would mark the time you arrived with your ballot and present it to the Kitsap County Elections Canvassing Board for disposition.
