Hennepin County courier terminated after ballots left unattended in open trunk | FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul

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A Hennepin County courier has been terminated after leaving the trunk of a vehicle open, leaving ballots unattended outside Edina City Hall.

The Hennepin County courier vehicle left unattended with its trunk open outside Edina City Hall. Photo courtesy of the City of Edina. (Supplied)

EDINA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Election ballots were left unattended after a Hennepin County courier vehicle was left with its trunk open while the driver went inside Edina City Hall.

According to Hennepin County officials, a county courier vehicle was photographed Friday at Edina City Hall with its trunk left open during a ballot transfer pick up. Inside the vehicle were ballot transfer cases which were left unattended as the driver went inside the building.

Officials say that ballots being secured at all times is protocol, and said that this incident is a "lapse in protocol" and "should not have happened, and is unacceptable."

The driver has been terminated after the incident, county officials confirmed.

Hennepin County officials say they found no evidence the sealed transfer cases were tampered with, and have determined that all the expected ballots have been accounted for.

The ballots that were received from the courier were compared with the record in the Statewide Voter Registration System for all absentee ballots accepted by cities. Officials said that this comparison showed a "100%" match.

This is something that occurs with every ballot transfer.

According to officials, county staff members also inspected individual ballots, and determined that the absentee ballot envelopes in the transfer cases were also still sealed.

"Election security is of utmost importance, and leaving ballots unattended is simply unacceptable. Hennepin County is reinforcing its transfer protocols with county staff and vendors. An incident like this underscores the value of strong chain-of-custody processes, so that risk can be addressed and integrity can be verified," Hennepin County Auditor Daniel Rogan said in a statement about the incident.

Absentee ballot status can be tracked online here by voters.

A press release from the City of Edina which included a statement from Hennepin County.

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