Connecticut is implementing multiple security measures to ensure safe voting on Election Day, including a unique addition to ballot drop boxes: fire suppressors.
This precaution follows recent incidents in Washington and Oregon, where ballot boxes were set ablaze, destroying hundreds of ballots.
Although there’s no credible threat in Connecticut, the suppressors are intended to reassure voters of a secure voting process, according to Brenda Bergeron, the deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection DESPP.
She emphasized that these efforts aim to maintain public confidence in the system.
On Election Day, the state emergency operations center will monitor safety issues, including over 100 brush fires across Connecticut.
Bergeron noted that managing both election safety and wildfire responses is challenging but achievable, crediting a collaborative approach among municipal, state, federal, and private sectors.
Additionally, some cities, including Hartford and East Hartford, will have increased police presence at polling locations for added security. Ballot drop boxes will lock automatically at 8 p.m. when the polls close.