A friend wrote:
Read an article on ballot printing from NPR. Truly informative. Turns out that the ballots aren't just printed at the print facilities, they are also mailed out from that facility. Which means the states provide the addresses. This means the post office has jurisdiction as soon as ballots are mailed from a printer. This also means that it is actually possible for HS or CISA to intervene in a way that allows them to print a special code or watermark on these ballots at the print facility before they're mailed. Without the state knowing about it.
So even though the CISA website says they don't print ballots, it's possible for them to add codes and watermarks or have the printer use their technology to do so secretly under national security.
RELATED: Encoding Isotopic Watermarks
Ballot Printers Increase Capacity To Prepare For Mail Voting Surge
Ballot Printers Increase Capacity To Prepare For Mail Voting Surge
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| Runbeck Election Services oversees production of tens of millions of mail-in ballots for elections nationwide in Phoenix, Ariz. With many states expected to expand mail-in voting for November, experts warn that existing ballot printing services could quickly become overwhelmed. Ash Ponders for NPR |
Pam Fessler at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., March 19, 2019. (photo by Allison Shelley)
More Americans than ever before are expected to vote by mail this year because of concerns about the coronavirus. One challenge facing election officials now: how to print and mail the millions of ballots voters are expected to request in the coming months.
Nearly a quarter of the 136 million presidential ballots cast 2016 were mailed in. That number could easily grow to well over half this year, especially if the health risk continues.
One of of the biggest such vendors in the country is Runbeck Election Services. The company's 90,000-square-foot facility in Phoenix, Ariz., is already bustling, and things are expected to get a lot busier soon.
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| Jeff Ellington, president and COO of Runbeck Election Services, stands in front of massive rolls of paper used to create mail-in ballots. Ash Ponders for NPR |
"This year we are going to mail probably around 40 to 50 million pieces. We'll print probably close to 80 million, up to 100 million pieces when you count inserts," said Jeff Ellington, the company's president and chief operating officer. He gave NPR a virtual tour of the facility via FaceTime because pandemic travel restrictions prevented an in-person visit.
