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The ballot drop box is exactly what it sounds like: a box into which voters can drop their completed absentee or absentee ballots.

They serve as a “safe and convenient” way for voters to cast their ballots, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a nonpartisan agency created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002. In particular, voters can drop off their completed ballots at a drop-off location without having to rely on the postal service.

For election officials, drop boxes also improve access to voting and reduce the number of people needing access to polling places, creating more space for those who want to vote in person, the commission said.

Mailboxes have long been used in the western states of Oregon, Washington and Colorado.

Best practices for securing mailboxes

Dropboxes can be either staffed or unstaffed and can be temporary or permanent structures. According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, they are generally placed in designated public locations, such as near an election office, a library or a polling place.

The commission makes a number of recommendations to ensure the safety of the boxes.

The unmanned, 24-hour ballot drop boxes should be made of durable material such as steel and permanently concreted into the ground, which would generally cost about $6,000 each, the commission said. In addition, the Commission recommends that mailboxes be equipped with a video surveillance camera, a media storage device, a sticker for branding and information, additional keys for access and security seals.

Only one election official or a designated dropbox team should have access, ideally bipartisan teams of poll workers or temporary workers who collect ballots regularly, the commission said.

Each state has specific rules for securing these mailboxes, including locks, video feeds, chain of custody requirements, police presence and even firefighting.