Firefighters say someone purposely tossed burning newspaper into the official drop box. One passerby told Eyewitness News the box looked like a chimney with smoke billowing out of it.
Arson investigators have not yet released information about how many ballots were destroyed. Mayor Manuel Lozano said he believes there were close to 100 ballots in the box at the time of the incident that were burnt or wet. "People are frustrated across the country, it's no different in Baldwin Park," Lozano said. "The incident that happened...does send a very bad message, as it is, the frustration with the voting box and then this occurs."
Fire crews say they did their best to save as many ballots as possible. The ballot will be sent to the registrar's office, officials say.
https://abc7.com/ballot-drop-box-fire-v ... n/7155522/
George Silva was out for a leisurely bike ride when he first spotted the plume of smoke. It was just after 8 p.m. Sunday, and a ballot box near Ramona and Baldwin Park boulevards was ablaze.
Silva, who lives in the Baldwin Park neighborhood and owns a business nearby, whipped out his phone and started broadcasting live on Facebook while Los Angeles County firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.
As he filmed, firefighters did everything they could to access the flames inside the tightly sealed metal box, including snaking a hose through the drop slot and, later, cutting the whole thing open with a power saw. Once open, numerous official election ballots — some charred beyond recognition — could be seen smoldering inside.
On Sunday night, officers with the Baldwin Park Police Department took custody of the seared, soaked ballots, which were set to be transferred to the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder’s office on Monday to see what could be salvaged.
In response to the fire, the county registrar’s office has requested a local law enforcement investigation and reported the incident to the FBI and the attorney general. Any available security footage from nearby buildings will be used to help catch the perpetrators.
https://www.latimes.com/california/stor ... y-be-arson
LA County placed 400 drop off boxes around their county.
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