TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – As of 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, less than a week until Election Day, more than 85,000 voters have cast ballots in Leon County. This includes more than 33,000 voted by mail.

WCTV Investigates takes an in-depth look at the process of how election mail, including mail-in ballots, is kept secure so your vote can be counted on election night.

If you vote by mail frequently, you know that the two groups that are heavily involved in making sure you receive your ballot and making sure it is counted after you vote are your local election office supervisor and the post office.

But one group you may not be familiar with is U.Limited State Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

USPIS is the federal law enforcement group within the United States Postal Service. Ensures safe and secure delivery of election mail, including ballots. They also ensure that USPS workers are protected while delivering election mail.

This week, Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley said he was working with county post office management ahead of the election to make sure everyone was prepared, especially when it came to voting by mail.

Longtime Tallahassee residents Jennifer Foor and Dr. Cedric Shephard chose to vote early in person for 2024. Foor said his decision was a matter of personal preference.

“The energy of voting in person is a little bit more exciting than sitting down and typing it out, and when you see people, you see the numbers go up, which is nice,” he said.

Dr. For Shephard, this was a change from mail-in voting in 2020.

“I know when I put my ballot in there it gets counted. “Not that I have any problems with the other method, but it is more convenient for me,” he said.

Earley announced a new report of mail ballots being compromised in Leon County; Three ballots were found, voted by mail by someone in the yard.

It’s unclear exactly where this happened in Leon County and what the circumstances were that led to the ballots ending up in a pile of mail in the yard.

Earley said the person who saw the pile of mail containing the ballots called the elections office supervisor and USPIS.

He said an investigation into this report was ongoing by USPIS, and the three voters affected by this case were finally able to vote.

Overall, he believes USPIS are great partners and recognize the challenging needs of the selection process.

USPIS was unable to comment on the incident due to the ongoing investigation.

USPIS shared the following tips for voters on the security of election mail, including voting by mail:

• Don’t leave your mail unattended for long periods of time
• If you’ll be away, have the post office hold your mail. You can find instructions at: www.usps.com.
• Many states have online tracking tools to help you track the status of your ballot
• If you think there is a problem receiving or delivering your ballot, contact your local elections office to verify the status of your ballot before contacting USPS.
• For maximum security, mail your outgoing mail to the lobby of your local Post Office.
• If you are concerned about security in your neighborhood: Consider installing a lockable mailbox or getting PO Box service from your local Post Office.
• If you see a mail thief at work or someone suspicious lurking near a mailbox, call the police immediately and then report it to Postal Inspectors at (877) 876-2455.

Earley also talked about new processes for mail-in voting in Leon County for the 2024 election cycle. County election officials have unveiled a new return tracking system for mail ballots so voters can track individual ballots back to the election office and during the tabulation and counting process.

Earley also said this year the post office will be more proactive in sending carriers with mail-in ballots to the election office supervisor to ensure they do so by the Nov. 5 deadline.

View WCTV’s 2024 Election Guide Here.

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