Federal officials have been warning that in recent months, some social media users have been encouraging sabotage of ballot drop boxes. "It's a direct attack on democracy," said one local official.

In the final stretch before Election Day, ballots have been set on fire and damaged in two ballot drop boxes and a Postal Service mailbox in three states. Federal officials have warned that in recent months, some social media users have encouraged sabotage of ballot drop boxes.

Early on Monday morning in Oregon, Portland police responded to a fire they say was started by “an incendiary device” inside a ballot drop box. Oregon’s Multnomah County Elections Division said in a statement that three ballots were damaged. “Fire suppressant inside the ballot box protected virtually all ballots,” the statement read.

Hours later, another drop box was set on fire in nearby Vancouver, Washington, where officials say “hundreds” of ballots were badly damaged when that box’s fire suppression system failed to work.

  • gedaliyah@lemmy.worldM
    1224·
    3 days ago

    Just a reminder that this is how election interference starts. One party arbitrarily accuses the other of election interference, then that party’s adherents decide to interfere with the election to “even things out.” Finally, the party that was falsely accused feels the need to interfere, thus proving the original false accusation. Soon the entire election integrity is undermined.

    Only fascists and rival nations benefit from mistrust in democracy.

        • Pips@lemmy.sdf.org
          7·
          2 days ago

          So it’s really just one party’s supporters make a false claim about the other party’s supporters so that they can justify doing the made up bad act as well, they do the bad act, and the party whose supporters did not commit that crime continue not committing that crime.

    • itslilith@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      132·
      2 days ago

      I’d go even further, if there’s only two sides, and one is actively destroying democracy, then they’ve already succeeded.

        • itslilith@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          8·
          2 days ago

          Which is by no means a call not to vote. But it should serve as a wake up call, people need to additionally organize their communities and set up support and mutual aid networks before it is to late. Both to avert the worst now, and to demand a better future

  • 9point6@lemmy.world
    1321·
    3 days ago

    And people will be going to prison for this, right? Ballot boxes will have definitely been put in view of CCTV, right?

    • Samvega@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      371·
      3 days ago

      I hope the people committing these crimes make themselves, and maybe their car license plate, fully visible so they can be recognised and punished.

    • kbotc@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      2 days ago

      Yep. Guy was arrested this morning and will be facing interstate felony charges.

      I suppose Trump can pardon him if he wins.

    • atzanteol@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      253·
      3 days ago

      Read says it’s important to remember that drop boxes are often under video surveillance and in many places

      So, hopefully. Why the weird energy?

    • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
      5·
      2 days ago

      Not only do they have CCTV but also fire suppressing systems, which is why one of the boxes only lost 3 ballots.

  • 1800doctorb@lemmy.world
    73·
    3 days ago

    Aggregating some information in this comment based on what I’ve read throughout the internet.

    1. Authorities have identified the vehicle of the one in Oregon (and likely Washington) and probably know who’s behind it at this point. AP News
    2. Authorities have arrested the person responsible for the ballot fires in Phoenix ABC Phoenix
    3. There was a conversation on Truth Social from a user named Elwoodblues50 that suggested doing just this. I have no idea how coordinated it was, but it definitely sounds like something that has been going around right wing circles for a bit. sorry Reddit link
    4. These ballot boxes have measures to protect the ballots in the case of fire. One of the ballot boxes had up to 100 ballots destroyed, the others were in the single digits.
    5. Oregon and Washington both have websites that allow you to check the status of your ballot. If you know anyone in who may have been impacted by this, have them check the websites and request a new ballot if theirs wasn’t accepted. Oregon. Washington
  • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.worldEnglish
    85·
    3 days ago

    A reminder to everyone if you are mailing or seeing if ballots, nearly every state has a website you can go to check your mailed ballot status. It will usually list the date the ballot was mailed to you, the date they received it back, whether it was accepted, and the batch it was put in for counting.

    • Mostly_Gristle@lemmy.world
      17·
      3 days ago

      Where I live we have a thing called BallotTrax. You sign up once and it automatically sends you notifications for that stuff so you don’t have to remember to check. I really like it.

    • SuperSaiyanSwag@lemmy.zipEnglish
      7·
      2 days ago

      Would it say if it was approved? I sent mine in, but it the pen I was using was dried up and I fucked up my signature a bit.

      • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        2 days ago

        The info I get from AZ only indicates whether my ballot was accepted which count batch it was added to.

        As far as I’m aware, the way it works is they verify your signature on the envelope, then open and confirm the ballot is legible and add it to the count batch. At that point it becomes completely anonymous with every other ballot. Not all of those will end up being useable, some will have issues not caught earlier but that will be a very tiny percentage.

  • PaupersSerenade@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    51·
    3 days ago

    The fact it happened so close together leads me to believe this was something discussed on group chats. I’m hoping that makes it easier to apprehend the perpetrators and also their accomplices. The wheels of justice move so slow, so all the more reason your vote is counted

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    271·
    3 days ago

    The really stupid part of this is that it’s happening in solidly blue states. People’s individual votes won’t get counted but it also probably won’t change much.

  • nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    181·
    3 days ago

    Id still vote by mail. You can recast a mail ballot if the box was attacked by a terrorist. Its a lot harder to follow your vote through if a terrorist decides to show up at your polling place. Four years ago I said the crazies are coming for the polls because on Jan 6th the only thing they learned is that they can’t wait until certification to try and influence the outcome.

  • Zachariah@lemmy.world
    161·
    3 days ago

    Have any of the candidates spoken out against this and asked their supporters not to do this?

  • BlueLineBae@midwest.socialEnglish
    7·
    3 days ago

    I always put my ballot in a place that’s better watched. It’s not fool proof, but I feel like it’s easier for people to mess with drop boxes and mail boxes that are out in the open vs dropping it off inside the post office or inside the polling place if there’s a drop box there and election judges can watch them.

    • blockheadjt@sh.itjust.works
      2·
      2 days ago

      Yes, it would be great if such places were open 24hrs, but they’re not. Meaning those of us with “typical” work hours need the boxes that are accessible 24hrs.