From The Boston Globe:
A ballot drop box outside the Boston Public Library was set on fire early Sunday morning in an apparently deliberate act, according to state and city officials, who said the "attack" — a "disgrace to democracy" — likely left several ballots spoiled.
[…]
The fire was set around 4 a.m. in the Copley Square drop box, according to Galvin's office. Boston Police on Sunday released two images of a man they say they're trying to identify as part of the investigation. In one image, a man appears to be holding something with a bright flame as he approaches the ballot box.
I saw this news right after I got home from casting my own early voting ballot in Boston. While actually altering-ballots-in-person voter fraud remains less likely than getting struck by lightning, voter suppression and other interference tactics have allegedly been on the rise, fueled by the President's fear-mongering rhetoric. Case in point: trying to burn down a ballot box in a famously Democratic city. Even more specifically, doing it at the most obvious, central, noticeable downtown location possible. While the city insists that all ballot boxes are under 24-hour surveillance, a potential arsonist would be foolish to think that the historic Boston Public Library wasn't lined with surveillance cameras.
Or maybe: that was the point. Maybe they weren't actually trying to sway the vote — there were only 122 ballots in the box at the time of the fire, 87 of which were unscathed, and only 5-10 of which were "badly damaged" — but rather, were just to agitate and accelerate and create some fear in general.
Another Ballot Box fire was lit last week in Baldwin Park, California.
Boston ballot box set on fire, officials say, in 'disgrace to democracy' [Matt Stout / Boston Globe]
Image via WCVB
