Ballot boxes were set on fire in other states. Here's how Milwaukee keeps its boxes safe

With just a week to go until Election Day, two ballot boxes in Washington and Oregon were set on fire Monday, damaging hundreds of ballots.

In Wisconsin, ballot drop boxes are back for the November election, following a two-year period where the state Supreme Court had ruled the practice was illegal. Though authorities have said the ballot box fires on the Pacific Northwest indicate a deliberate attempt to disrupt the electoral process, there have been no threats or causes for concern regarding drop box tampering in Milwaukee, Election Commission Executive Director Paulina Gutiérrez told the Journal Sentinel.

The Election Commission has also been monitoring incidents in other states and is in contact fellow election workers across the country, she added.

"We checked in with our law enforcement partners. We have safety and security in place, and we're feeling confident that we can handle issues that may pop up," Gutiérrez said of drop box tampering.

Here's how ballot drop boxes — and the votes inside them — are kept safe and secure in Milwaukee.

How do I know my ballot will be safe in a drop box until Election Day?

The city has taken several steps to ensure ballots will be securely locked inside drop boxes until an election official collects them, according to the Election Commission.

All drop boxes are located in well-lit areas on city government property with 24-hour security cameras nearby. Though Gutiérrez said she was unsure if the drop boxes were fireproof, she emphasized that they are made of heavy-duty steel. The boxes are also bolted into the ground and feature relatively narrow flaps to insert ballots — meaning they are designed to to withstand weather elements and any tampering or stealing attempts.

Additionally, drop boxes are secured with heavy-duty, key-access locks that only specially trained election officials are able to open.

How often are ballot drop boxes emptied?

Drop box ballots are picked up every day, sometimes several times a day, until Election Day, Gutiérrez said.

After you drop off your ballot, you can track it online to make sure it was received.

How do ballot pick-ups work?

Here's how your ballot will be counted if you return it to a drop box:

• Drop boxes remain locked unless an election official is retrieving ballots.

• During ballot pick-ups, specially trained election officials will travel in pairs to each drop box. These officials, who have taken oaths of duty, will all be wearing city of Milwaukee vests, carrying election official ID badges and traveling in city-issued vehicles.

• After collecting ballots from a drop box, election officials will secure them in a ballot courier bag.

• Election officials will then immediately return to a secure ballot processing center with the ballot courier bag.

• Upon arrival to the center, the ballots are immediately processed and stored in a secure room.

• At 6 p.m. on Election Day, officials will retrieve ballots for a final time and then lock the drop boxes. This is to ensure all ballots arrive to the Central Count location by 8 p.m. when polls close.

More information about ballot drop boxes

For more information about ballot drop box locations, deadlines and pick-up in Milwaukee, check out our longer guide.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How does Milwaukee keep ballot drop boxes safe from tampering?