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Maine authorities are investigating after a resident claimed her Amazon order arrived containing hundreds of unmarked absentee ballots last week.
The ballots, sent out ahead of November's election, were reported missing by the town of Elsworth, Maine, on the same day that the woman said she found the ballots on her doorstep. Maine's Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said that state law enforcement and the FBI are investigating the incident.
"This year, it seems that there may have been attempts to interrupt the distribution of ballots and ballot materials," Bellows said at a press conference.
"I have full confidence that law enforcement will determine who is responsible, and any bad actor will be held accountable," she added.
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Maine's Nov. 4 election features a Republican-backed ballot initiative that would impose photo ID requirements for voting and reduce the reliance on drop boxes.
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"What this means is that Mainers need to turn out in force, and every single person that supports voter ID and securing our elections needs to get out and vote between now and Nov. 4 to ensure that we secure our elections," said Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.
Maine Republicans called on the FBI and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the incident in a letter last week.
Meanwhile, Amazon has said it is not responsible for the mishandling of the ballots.
"Based on our initial findings, it appears that this package was tampered with outside of our fulfillment and delivery network, and not by an Amazon employee or partner," the company said in a statement.
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The company said it is cooperating with the state investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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