Mail-in ballots in an official drop box were damaged by fire over the weekend in Los Angeles, while a Long Beach vote center was reported as vandalized, though police said the broken glass didn\u2019t appear to be tied to the elections.<\/p>\n
In advance of Tuesday\u2019s statewide primary election<\/a>, the Los Angeles County registrar\u2019s office and law enforcement officials were looking to find the perpetrator.<\/p>\n \u201cAny attempt to interfere with voting or election operations is taken seriously,\u201d Dean Logan, who oversees the registrar\u2019s office, said in a written statement. \u201cWe will continue working closely with law enforcement and other partners to safeguard the voting process and ensure voters can participate with confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n Election workers responded Sunday morning to a voter center in Cesar E. Chavez Park in Long Beach, where vandalism was originally suspected.<\/p>\n Long Beach police officers found a section of a broken window but didn\u2019t believe it was connected to any targeted vote center vandalism, they said.<\/p>\n In Los Angeles during a ballot collection, election staffers found mail-in ballots that appeared to be burnt in an official drop box at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Services-Civic Center location in the Arts District.<\/p>\n Elections officials believe the damage affected a small number of ballots and occurred between Saturday\u2019s collection and the following morning.<\/p>\n The registrar\u2019s office reported the damage to Los Angeles police. The registrar did not say how many ballots might have been destroyed.<\/p>\n County officials said they would contact any voters they could whose ballots were damaged to lay out available options, including replacement ballots, if needed.<\/p>\n Voters who are concerned about whether their ballot was compromised can check on its status with the California secretary of state\u2019s Where\u2019s My Ballot tool at california.ballottrax.net<\/a>. Voters input their name, date of birth and ZIP code.<\/p>\n