With the presidential election coming up soon, tension in the United States is only rising. In the weeks leading up to the election there have been multiple reports of ballot boxes being set on fire. In these ballot boxes, hundreds of ballots were affected, some destroyed completely and others are not legible to read as reported by the Portland Police Bureau.
What was the cause of these fires? An incendiary device placed onto the ballot boxes, in both Portland and Vancouver. The smoke that rose from these devices alerted the public and the police, who ensured the device was deactivated safely and removed by the local bomb squad. Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Mike Benner, says the design of the device reveals an expertise in metalworking and welding, hunting the person behind the crime spent more than minimum effort in devising their plan. Luckily, the ballot box in Portland has already been replaced, 15 miles from the other ballot box that was affected in Vancouver, in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. The person behind this act was a thirty five year old man, called Dieter B. Klofkorn, who admitted to starting the fires himself. The Phoenix Police Department stated he claimed that he had no political motive in placing these devices, and another source claims he did it in order to be arrested, and the crime was on purpose. Furthermore, it has been ruled that Klorfkorn has been charged with arson.
In response to this crime, the police responded by increasing security around ballot boxes and sending a message: “Make no mistake, an attack on a ballot box is an attack on our democracy and completely unacceptable,” said Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade. Although the attack on the ballot boxes may not have been political, the message it sent reflected the tension the whole country is feeling. The election determines the future of the country, and these moments highlight the overall anxiety of this election. Despite these events, state leaders are still encouraging people to submit their votes, with a new promise of increased security, attempting to reassure fears.
Overall, this event serves as an example of the response to setbacks in the electoral process. It fortunately motivated leaders to reinforce security measures around ballot boxes, reflecting the country’s commitment to the safety of the American people and the democratic process. In increasing security measures, leaders might have also reassured the people’s trust revolving around public safety
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/28/ballot-box-on-fire-washington-oregon
10 comments:
You talked about how Klofkorn wanted to be arrested but I find this hard to believe. Although it is what he stated, it could easily be lied about. If he wanted to be arrested it would have been a lot easier because he was arrested. After all, there was a warrant out for him unrelated to the fire. He also stated that this wasn’t political but I feel like he is also lying about this too, he knew what he was doing and what time of year it was. It’s hard not to think that destroying the ballots was his motive. All in all his reasoning seems to be all over the place and it’s hard to trust what he is currently saying.
Adding on to Sou, destroying people's mail (and especially election ballots) is not something one does "in order to be arrested" -- tampering with mail and especially election ballots is (probably) both a state and federal crime, and unless someone really believes in civil disobedience or like is super duper angry at the United States as a whole or otherwise, burning is more than slightly unusual.
Other than that, people who watch true crime or whatever probably also know that people who give themselves in too easily and straight off the bat dismiss and say that "it was a one man thing" should be treated with skepticism.
On the topic of ballot box protection/safety, it should be noted that every mailbox that can accept election ballots has security camera(s) monitoring the box at all times, and as such there is already significant oversight (literally) on ballot protection.
Other than that, it's probably hard for the authorities to figure out what to do -- I don't really see a good solution to solving this problem besides picking up mail more frequently or by simply making a separate, more secure collection box to collect specifically election ballots.
I agree with what Sou said about destroying the ballots being the actual motive. Considering how close we are to the election and the increased threats of possible tampering with the election, it is only logical that Klofkorn's intention was to disrupt or mess with the election in some way. I believe if he simply wanted to light things on fire or destroy government property to "get arrested" as he claims, there would've been other ways to do this. Klofkorn's actions have effected several hundred ballots, meaning several hundred people's votes may not be counted. While this isn't a significant number and Oregon is not a swing state, if this had occurred on a larger scale, there could be much more significant repercussions on the election results. Similar to Alex's thoughts, I'm not sure how much can be done to protect the ballots, outside of placing them in a safer location, out of reach of tampering. But this comes with drawbacks as well, because it would limit the amount of people who can easily vote. Ultimately though, I think it is probably a little too late, with the election being in 2 days, for any significant changes to be mad, but I also think we may see more people like Klofkorn, trying to mess with ballots, in the coming days.
I agree with the danger of people destroying ballots. Adding on to what people have said, there is also the danger of foreign entities meddling within our election by lighting ballot boxes on fire. While it is unlikely a nation would attempt something like this because it would face war, smaller terrorist organizations could easily attack vulnerable ballot boxes. Iran could task one of its terrorist proxy's to go into the United States and burn down a couple boxes. Whether or not the attack actually matters, it would lead to mistrust between Americans. I'm sure this attack could also act as evidence that people would use to eliminate the use of ballot boxes, potentially making it harder for many people to vote that could also go on to influence elections.
I am surprised ballot boxes are just placed out in the open like this, as I am sure there are many ways people can tamper with them without being seen. While I doubt a few arson-ed ballot boxes could have a significant effect on the election, it is kinda disturbing knowing how easily trends/riots can spread over social media, and if some sort of large ballot box tampering trend were to happen, there could be major problems. I agree with Camille in that we may see a little more of this happening in the days before the election, however, I don't think any large scale movement about ballot boxes could happen for two reasons:
1. It is very unclear which side is going to win, so there is no motive for either side to try and screw up the election
2. Both sides like democracy and could see that this would be really stupid
I respectfully disagree with Marcus' point that there is the danger of foreign entities messing with the election in this way. Sure, certain organizations or nations prefer a certain president to be elected, but burning ballot boxes cannot help make a difference unless you basically target them in entire cities that are very democratic or republican, but even then, most cities have a pretty large mix.
I agree with Adam that it's crazy to have ballot boxes containing votes that determine not only the president but also the trajectory of the country's platform moving on, out in the streets without much protection. I guess ballot boxes are more convenient for voters to drop off their ballots and not having to wait in line, but I feel that physically going to the stations is part of the process of voting. Interacting with the poll workers may help answer some questions not answerable at home as well as guarantee safety of their votes. Leaving these boxes out where anyone can meddle with is extremely dangerous. I definitely think that they should implement more security of these ballot boxes or try to open up more voting stations to promote in person voting. I feel cases like this can end up like the 2000 election where Florida had to recount their votes but didn't have enough time, sending all electoral votes to Bush who won by a small margin. While this incident may seem to be a small case, they can pile up leading to disastrous outcomes.
The recent incidents of ballot boxes being set on fire are deeply concerning, as they pose a direct threat to the integrity of our democratic process. With tensions already running high in the lead-up to the election, such attacks on ballot boxes could further erode public trust in the election system. The destruction of ballots undermines citizens' right to vote, and the possibility of more incidents like this raises serious concerns about election security. It's crucial that we safeguard every aspect of voting to protect the outcome of the election and preserve the integrity of democracy, especially in such a divided political climate.
The act of setting fire boxes is deeply concerning, especially during the time as we were approaching a high-stakes election. Even though Klofkorn claimed there wasn't a political motive, I agree with everyone that it is so hard to believe because of the timing and effect of his actions. This could set a dangerous precedent for future elections, where people may think it's acceptable to disrupt the voting process to get attention or as a form of political expression. It is very destructive because in a close election, even small disruptions to the voting process can sway the election outcome, in favor of one candidate or another. We need to ensure that our elections are protected at all costs, no matter how small the impact seems to be because this just shows that the democratic process is very fragile.
Setting ballot boxes on fire is a serious crime that deserves severe punishment due to the principle of it likely being an attack on democracy. Furthermore, the reasoning explained here is very conflicting and difficult to understand. How would ballot boxes being set on fire so close to elections not be an intentional political crime? I also think it is difficult to believe that Klofkorn had the intention of being incarcerated. Based on this, I believe it is highly likely that there was some or a lot of dishonesty from the person who admitted to having committed the crime.
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