Palm Beach County elections officials welcome questions amid misinformation and hostility

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Ballots will soon be in the mailboxes of nearly 200,000 voters in Palm Beach County.

Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link and her staff smiled, posed for photos and answered questions Friday about the upcoming election as pallets stacked with mail-in ballots were loaded onto U.S. postal trucks.

This batch of domestic ballots followed the military and overseas ballots that were sent out last week.

"Everybody requested those [ballots] using the appropriate process — either by online or calling our office or filling out the state-mandated form," Link said.

Shipping out the mail-in ballots is just one step of many in an election process that Sartory Link aims to keep as transparent as possible in the lead-up to Election Day on Nov. 5.

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"We don't want any misinformation or disinformation going out," Sartory Link said.

She is not in rare company. Election officials across the country are facing security concerns and battling misinformation.

This week, the issue hit home in Palm Beach County after deputies removed a woman from a canvassing board meeting.

Sartory Link said the woman was asking about the types of paper used for ballots and was one of many people who raised questions during the public comment portion of the meeting.

"Everybody who wanted to speak was given that opportunity," Sartory Link said. "A number of questions were asked during that (time) that the canvassing board couldn't answer, so they asked if I would be willing to answer them. At the end of the meeting, I said I was happy to answer them."

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Sartory Link is not a member of the canvassing board but was present at the meeting.

She said the woman was interrupting the meeting outside the designated public comment period and had been given multiple verbal warnings.

"The canvassing board couldn't conduct their business," Sartory Link said. "The judge told her this is going to be your last warning. If you continue, we will have you removed."

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office posted a similar description of the event on X.

"Following the judge's request, our deputies escorted the individual out to maintain order. The person later apologized and understood why these steps were taken. Maintaining freedom of speech, order, and safety for all residents is among our top priority. We hope this clarifies the incident," part of the post said.

One footage of the woman being removed from the meeting was viewed more than 2.3 million times on X and prompted unfounded allegations of wrongdoing at the elections office, as well as threats to Sartory Link and her staff

Sartory Link said she has received calls on her personal phone, including one she deemed threatening enough to report to the sheriff's office.

"I think we're just being very cautious of ... our surroundings, and making sure that everybody's in a safe environment," Sartory Link said. "The safety and security of our staff, and of course, the elections, is our paramount concern."

The Office of the Supervisor of Elections moved into a new building in May. The building features viewing areas with large windows and monitors that provide the public and the press with multiple vantage points as ballots are tabulated. Sartory Link said if anyone has a question about the election process she's happy to answer.

"If what you want is a true, honest, fair, transparent election — following the laws that are in place today — that's what we're able to do," she said. "Causing disruptions or voter intimidation— that's not the way to do it. That's not who we are."

Link reminded voters that mail-in ballots must be dropped off or delivered by the U.S. Postal Service to her office by the time polls close on Nov. 5 to be counted. She said ballots won't be counted if they're postmarked by Nov. 5 but delivered later.

Click here to request a mail-in ballot in Palm Beach County.