WHAT HAPPENED: A Maine woman received 250 unused state election ballots in an Amazon package she ordered, prompting an investigation.
WHO WAS INVOLVED: Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D), Maine House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, and voters in the state.
WHEN & WHERE: Newburgh, Maine, just days before mail-in voting begins for a state referendum on absentee voting regulations.
KEY QUOTE: “Safe and secure elections are my top priority. Law enforcement is working diligently to determine who is responsible, and they will be held accountable.” – Shenna Bellows
IMPACT: The incident has raised serious concerns about election security, with calls for federal investigations and tighter voting regulations.
A woman in Newburgh, Maine, was stunned to discover 250 unused state election ballots inside an Amazon package she had ordered, which was supposed to contain coffee, rice, and paper plates. Speaking anonymously, the woman said the package appeared to have been opened and resealed before it arrived at her home.
After finding the ballots, she contacted local authorities, who helped transfer them to the Newburgh town clerk’s office. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) confirmed that an investigation has been launched into how the ballots ended up outside the official chain of custody. “Safe and secure elections are my top priority. As soon as we became aware of allegations of ballots being received outside of the appropriate chain of custody, I immediately initiated an investigation through my secretary of state’s law enforcement division,” Bellows said in a statement.
The incident has triggered calls for broader investigations. Maine House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham is urging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel to open a federal probe. “The discovery of hundreds of authentic state ballots in a private Amazon delivery is beyond alarming. When ballots appear in household shipments of rice and toys, trust is shattered. Mainers deserve answers, accountability, and immediate action,” Faulkingham said.
Notably, Bellows attempted to unilaterally ban Donald J. Trump from appearing on Maine’s presidential primary ballots in 2023, alleging he had violated the Constitution’s insurrection clause. This suggests to some conservatives that she is a partisan actor who cannot be relied upon to uphold election integrity.
The campaign group Voter ID for ME reacted strongly to the scandal on social media, writing, “HUNDREDS of ballots are now turning up in Amazon packages?? This isn’t satire, fear mongering or political hyperbole. It’s reality. And it’s very likely not a one‑off, either. This is HUGE and means our elections are even MORE unsafe than we thought.”
The incident adds to a growing list of ballot-related concerns across the country. In Rhode Island, a Democrat lawmaker was recently accused of distributing misleading “sample ballots” that omitted opposing party candidates. In Pennsylvania, thousands of overseas military ballots have been challenged due to discrepancies. A 2025 FBI report also concluded that China attempted to exploit mail-in ballots to influence the 2020 election.
This has all fueled efforts to restrict mail-in voting, including a campaign by President Donald J. Trump calling for a ban on mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines.
Image via Stock Catalog.
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