FBI investigating fire set in Boston ballot drop box

BOSTON — A fire was set Sunday in a Boston ballot drop box holding more than 120 ballots in what Massachusetts election officials said appears to have been a “deliberate attack,” now under investigation by the FBI.

That fire was apparently set around 4 a.m. Sunday outside of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square. The Boston Elections Department had last emptied that ballot drop box around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

“The ability and the right to vote is such a huge privilege and any action that would cast aspersions on that is very troubling to hear,” said Uday Chatterjee, a local voter.

>>>MORE: Election 2020: Mass. early voting dates, locations

Of the 122 ballots found in the dropbox following the Sunday morning fire, 87 were considered legible and were able to be processed, the state said. Those who dropped their ballots into the box between 2:30 p.m. Saturday and 4:00 am Sunday have been asked to reach out to the Boston Elections Department.

Those wishing to see the status of their ballot can go to TrackMyBallotMA.com to confirm if it has been received.

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Voters who have been impacted by the ballot drop box fire will be mailed replacement ballots by the City of Boston and can cast those ballots – or vote in person – by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

“If any affected voter does not submit a new ballot, their original ballot will be hand-counted to the extent possible,” the state wrote in a release on the fire.

>>>MORE: How to vote by mail and track your ballot in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin has asked officials to increase security for ballot drop boxes following the fire, including the use of guards and video surveillance, along with emptying the boxes more frequently.

“I think we’re going to be beefing up security in and around ballot boxes,” said Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn, who represents the Copley area. “[The fire is] also a way to intimidate people not to vote, we can’t tolerate this.”

“What happened in the early hours of this morning to the ballot drop box in Copley Square is a disgrace to democracy, a disrespect to the voters fulfilling their civic duty, and a crime,” Galvin and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a joint statement issued Sunday.

“Our first and foremost priority is maintaining the integrity of our elections process and ensuring transparency and trust with our voters, and any effort to undermine or tamper with that process must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We ask voters not to be intimidated by this bad act, and remain committed to making their voices heard in this and every election.”

>>>MORE: Election 2020: Massachusetts ballot questions

Vote by mail steps:

• Request your mail-in ballot through www.mailmyballotma.com or with a mail ballot application.
• Fill out the application completely.
• Submit the request online through www.mailmyballotma.com or to your local election office. You should request your ballot as far in advance of the election as possible. The deadline to request a ballot by mail is (received by) 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, 2020.
• When your ballot arrives, read it carefully and follow the instructions to complete it and return it.
• Track your ballot

There are currently 193 ballot drop boxes across the state. Click here to find a ballot drop box location near you.

The state has a full list of election tools for voters on its Election Page.

Voter Resources

• View My Ballot
• Register to Vote Online
• Am I Registered to Vote?
• Where Do I Vote?
• Find My Drop Box
• Track My Ballot
• Mail-in Registration Form
• Automatic Voter Registration
• Massachusetts Districts

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