Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows appeared at the polls in Bangor on Tuesday evening, where she offered remarks on the ongoing investigation into 250 absentee ballots that a Newburgh woman reported finding in an Amazon package about a month ago.
The update came as voters were still casting ballots, an unusual time for new public comments on an active election-related inquiry.
“No one wants the truth more than I do, and I’m sure the truth will come out,” Bellows said to WABI TV. She added that she trusts law enforcement to complete a thorough review.
“So UPS has not yet confirmed for us or turned over what we need to see. The investigation is still ongoing. Law enforcement is working really hard. I’m sure they’ll uncover every stone and get to the bottom of this,” she added.
A Brewer UPS employee previously told WABI that the ballots were mistakenly mixed in during the shipping process.
Bellows had earlier indicated that the FBI was involved in the investigation, but officials in Newburgh have said they have not yet been contacted by federal agents regarding the matter, which is now over a month old.
Bellows has also not returned Maine Wire phone calls or answered questions in person about why the state ended its use of the nationally-respected delivery company UPS for ballot delivery and moved to another courier service following the incident. Also, it now appears Bellows is saying that UPS is investigating the incident and not the FBI.
