Maricopa County protects ballots from a fire with a new vault

A dry chemical will be sprayed on the ballots in the event of a fire, maintaining their integrity.

PHOENIX - More than 100,000 ballots have been collected in Maricopa County since early voting began, and the ballots waiting to be counted are more secure than ever before, thanks to a new vault.

"We really wanted to create this room so they can be safe and secure in case of a fire," said Erika Flores with the Maricopa County Elections Department.

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More than 110,000 ballots are inside the vault and have been signature verified. They won't be tabulated until Oct. 20.

The ballots are under strict security, too. The walls of the vault are lined with security cameras rolling 24/7.

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"What we have is a system that will spray dry chemicals in case of a fire and so that way the ballots will remain dry and safe. They won’t be ruined as they would in another room that would have fire sprinklers with water," Flores said.

The ballots will be stored in the vault until after every race is certified and deadlines have passed.