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Substance found on mail-in ballot in Chester County prompts hazmat response
Chester County officials provided an update Friday afternoon after a county election office was briefly evacuated after a worker found a 'non-liquid' substance on a mail-in ballot.
WEST CHESTER, Pa. - A mail-in ballot envelope that led to a lockdown at the Chester County Government Services Building on Friday, October 30, has been tested and found to contain no biohazard, according to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office. Preliminary lab results were provided by the FBI, and final confirmation testing is expected to be completed next week.
What we know:
An employee detected a non-liquid substance on the outside of a mail-in ballot while performing routine intake, prompting a 911 call, according to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office. The Chester County Hazardous Materials Response Team responded and rendered the building safe within 90 minutes of the call.
The incident led to a joint investigation by Chester County Detectives and the FBI, who determined the ballot had been deposited at a local drop-box. The ballot in question was invalidated, but the voter has been referred to Chester County Voter Services to recast their ballot in accordance with Pennsylvania law, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
What's next:
Final confirmation testing of the envelope’s contents is set to be completed next week, according to the announcement. The elderly voter involved has cooperated with investigators, and authorities are treating the matter as non-criminal.
What we don't know:
Authorities say preliminary tests show no biohazard, but final confirmation from lab testing is still pending and will be available next week.
The Source: This article contains information from a press release by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office approved for release by District Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe.