Secretary of State Investigates 250 Mailed Ballots

A Newburgh, Maine resident says an Amazon package she received contained roughly 250 blank Maine election ballots amid items like rice, coffee and paper plates, and that the box appeared to have been opened and retaped; she turned the ballots in to the town office. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has initiated an investigation through her office’s law enforcement division, though it remains unclear which agency is leading the probe. Photos first published by the Maine Wire show stacks of sealed ballots and a shipping label; state police and the Penobscot County sheriff say they were not involved. Republican leaders have asked federal officials to investigate the incident, and a Washington Times report says they contacted Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. Investigators are examining chain-of-custody and how the ballots left official distribution channels ahead of a statewide Question 1 voter ID referendum.