Empty ballot boxes, laptops stolen from returning office

Police are investigating after a break-in at a returning office in Halifax on Sunday evening.

Two empty ballot boxes, seven laptops, a projector and about $60 in cash were stolen from the returning office in Clayton Park West on Chain Lake Drive.

The ballot boxes containing early voting ballots were stored in a locked room and were not affected, said Elections Nova Scotia, the independent agency responsible for conducting provincial elections.

The agency said the integrity of the election in that area has not been compromised.

However, early voting was not available for about an hour and a half in the Clayton Park West electoral district while Elections Nova Scotia sought an alternate location. About 15 people were not able to vote during that time, but returned to cast ballots when the voting location was moved next door, to 137 Chain Lake Dr., according to the agency.

Elections Nova Scotia spokesperson Naomi Shelton said the security practices of Elections Nova Scotia — including the requirement for returning offices and voting locations to have a secure room to store ballot boxes — are in line with election standards across the country.

Shelton said late Monday afternoon that 24-hour security has been arranged at the Clayton Park location.