How Medford Is Securing Its Ballot Drop Boxes

MEDFORD, MA — The city is taking steps to enhance security at its ballot drop boxes following an "urgent election directive" from Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin. The directive came after a ballot box was set ablaze in Boston on Sunday.

Medford has two official ballot drop boxes – outside the side door of City Hall and inside City Hall at the Greeter Desk. A spokesperson for the city said the box outside is under video surveillance, and the box inside is at a desk that is staffed whenever the building is open.

Officials are taking steps to secure drop boxes Saturday night into Sunday. This will include locking the outside drop box, which will be reopened on Sunday.

A Boston man was arrested late Sunday night after authorities said he set fire to a Copley Square ballot box earlier that morning. The fire destroyed 35 of the 122 ballots inside, prompting Galvin to tell local officials to improve security around ballot boxes.

"What happened in the early hours of this morning to the ballot drop box in Copley Square is a disgrace to democracy, a disrespect to the voters fulfilling their civic duty, and a crime," Galvin and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a joint statement. "Our first and foremost priority is maintaining the integrity of our elections process and ensuring transparency and trust with our voters, and any effort to undermine or tamper with that process must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We ask voters not to be intimidated by this bad act, and remain committed to making their voices heard in this and every election."