Overview

• Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said Ellsworth reported five missing packets totaling 250 absentee ballots on Sept. 30, the same day a Newburgh resident reported receiving five bundled ballots in an Amazon box.
• The secretary of state's law enforcement division is leading the investigation with assistance from the Maine Attorney General's Office, Maine State Police, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
• Bellows has not confirmed the ballots found in Newburgh are the same as those missing from Ellsworth, citing an ongoing criminal investigation.
• Amazon says initial checks indicate the package was tampered with outside its fulfillment and delivery network, and the company is cooperating with investigators.
• Officials say absentee voting safeguards remain in place and the Nov. 4 election will proceed securely, as political attention intensifies following conservative media reports and Republican calls for federal action.