How ballots get from Pennsylvania precincts to election offices

Police escorts, sealed containers and chain of custody documentation: These are some of the measures that Pennsylvania counties take to secure ballots while they are transported from polling places to county facilities after polls close on Election Day.  The exact protocols vary by county. For instance, in Dauphin County, election judges will transport ballots in sealed boxes back to the county elections office, according to Chris Spackman, director of elections.  In Philadelphia, local law enforcement plays a direct role in gathering ballots from polling places.  “Philadelphia police officers will travel to polling places across the city after the polls close and collect those ballots to be transported back to our headquarters at the end of the night, said Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein, who serves on the board that oversees elections in the city. “Each precinct is given a large canvas bag, and the containers that hold the ballots are placed into that bag and transport