A suspected drunken driver hit a Whatcom County ballot box. Is your vote secure?
An alleged drunken driver sideswiped a ballot box in Blaine on Sunday, leaving scuff marks but not damaging the interior of the secure container, Whatcom County officials said.
No ballots were inside, because they were mailed to voters starting Wednesday in Washington state’s all-mail election, Whatcom County Auditor Stacy Henthorn told The Bellingham Herald.
“These ballot drop boxes are heavy duty and made of 1/4“ thick steel. The large box in Blaine weighs 525 pounds. There are no concerns about ballots because the box was not damaged. Also, all Whatcom County official ballot drop boxes were just opened this week,” Henthorn said in an email.
Blaine Police arrested a man Monday on suspicion of damaging the ballot box, along with several parked cars, according to previous Bellingham Herald reporting.
Damage to ballot drop boxes isn’t unusual. Some sites in Whatcom County are protected by crash bars to prevent a collision.
In 2020, a truck hit a ballot box in Snohomish County, prompting assumptions that it was an attempt to steal ballots. It was an accident and the ballot box contents remained secure, elections officials told The Herald.
“In May of 2022, a truck backed into the ballot box located at the North Whatcom Fire & Rescue station in Birch Bay, causing it to lean and left scuff marks so it has happened in Whatcom County previously,” Henthorn said.
This story was originally published October 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
