this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2024
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State and federal authorities are investigating a deliberately set fire that destroyed ballots inside a drop box in southwest Washington on Monday morning.

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[–] solsangraal@lemmy.zip 271 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

The leader of the Washington State Republican Party said what occurred in Vancouver reinforces the need for Washington to ditch vote-by-mail.

classic GOP destroy a thing so you can say it needs to be replaced because it's broken

[–] Ep1cFac3pa1m@lemmy.world 55 points 2 weeks ago

“If we use vote by mail the election won’t be secure!”

Not necessarily

“I’ll make sure of it!”

[–] DogPeePoo@lemm.ee 50 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Drop boxes are only one aspect of voting by mail. Cameras, “election integrity guards” or other means and measures could be employed to help dissuade these terrorists.

Mail in ballots are just as easily placed in any blue post office box or your own mailbox which is impossible for would be destructors/interceptors to know when your ballot is in the mail.

Republicans can get bent.

[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Mail in ballots are just as easily placed in any blue post office box or your own mailbox which is impossible for would be destructors/interceptors to know when your ballot is in the mail.

Republicans can get bent.

They'll just start blowing up the mailboxes, which would also serve the purpose of sowing distrust and unreliability in our postal system.

[–] Backlog3231@reddthat.com 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If there's one organization you don't fuck with its the U.S. Mail. Touch their shit and they won't hesitate for a second to jail you. Postal inspectors take their jobs extremely seriously.

[–] scutiger@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

It's easy to say that, but the GOP already got their man on the inside there as well with Louis DeJoy.

[–] Manifish_Destiny@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

Can't wait for some magat to get gunned down by a postal inspector.

[–] DogPeePoo@lemm.ee 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It’s even easier to use your individual home mailbox to mail it. The postage is pre-paid 🤷‍♀️

It’s completely anonymous as to when and whom you vote for.

[–] Wrench@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

Republicans already destroyed the USPS, so home mailboxes are no better. High likelihood of ballots getting "lost in the mail" until after counting has stopped.

I have had so many problems with our automated rent checks showing up on time in the last few years. I can clearly see our credit union sending them on time, and they're eventually received with the appropriate timestamps, but we're weeks late in arrival.

[–] _bcron_@lemmy.world 24 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

What's being pushed in the other part of the internet is that these are false flags in deep blue states that won't affect the outcome in order to bolster security at boxes in swing states that are allegedly being used to dump off tons of fake ballots.

No winning against the propaganda machine, they have a narrative for every little thing and it always fits inside some weird B movie 'deep state' bullshit. Starting to think Russian propaganda mills actually hire B movie writers

[–] Archer@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

They can only afford the failed ones like Ben Shapiro

[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

Russian propaganda mills actually hire B movie writers

Have you ever seen a film from one of these countries? Russia, North Korea, etc? Those writers only hope to one day aspire to be at the level of B movies. I've seen porn with better plots.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago

Its also very GOP to be like "votes don't matter, everythings rigged" and also be the ones trying to rig everything. Its been a successful strategy every since Reagan fucked over the Iran hostage crisis by starting Iran Contra

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 114 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Great, the people who are saying the Election was rigged, are actually the ones attempting to destroy ballots. Do they not see the irony at all in doing stuff like this?

[–] RedditWanderer@lemmy.world 61 points 2 weeks ago

They don't at all. They know what they're doing, they know their calling election interference disingenuously, and they know theyre the only ones allkwed to cheat.

They just really really wanna be able to grab women by the pussy "like the good old days before the wokeness"

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 15 points 2 weeks ago

They don't care about it being rigged or fair. They only care that their side wins, minority side or not.

[–] BmeBenji@lemm.ee 6 points 2 weeks ago

It’s beyond irony. It is the Oceania doublespeak playbook. The Ministry of Truth was in charge of authoring all the lies.

[–] LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world 59 points 2 weeks ago

Biden needs to declare this as an emergency and issue FBI investigation + more dropboxes at every government building.

[–] rekabis@programming.dev 56 points 2 weeks ago

“If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy.”

- David Frum

[–] RubberElectrons@lemmy.world 49 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

To anyone else in Washington state that wants texts on your ballot status (received, confirmed, problem etc), text the word VOTE to 868392.

Don't blindly take my, or any other person's word for it when it comes to this election, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/how-to-track-your-ballot-in-wa/

[–] whatalute@lemmy.world 46 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

As someone local to the area, it's telling that the drop box targeted is one of the more urban drop box locations in Clark County. The city of Vancouver itself leans blue, but goes red very quick once you get outside the city. This pisses me off so much, I've lived in Washington state since like 2006, and I'd never heard complaints about our voting by mail system from republicans until the big orange turd started his temper tantrum.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

I'm sure if the maga people are going full holy war on democracy we'll see polling places being shot up as well. These burnt ballots are likely going to look like small potatoes in a week.

[–] billwashere@lemmy.world 38 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Legit question: how do they figure out whose ballots got destroyed so they can vote again? Or do they even bother?

[–] TherapyGary@lemmy.blahaj.zone 43 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Ballots typically have identifiers such as voter information or barcodes that help election officials match them to specific voters, allowing them to contact those whose ballots were compromised and ensure they can cast a new vote.

Voters who used the affected drop box after the last collection time are encouraged to contact the Clark County Auditor's office to verify if their ballot was among those destroyed and to obtain a replacement (source)

[–] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 29 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

So the onus is on the voters, meaning those votes are likely lost :/

[–] EmpathicVagrant@lemmy.world 21 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I’m sure most of the people living there who recently dropped a ballot in that box will care enough to ask the same thing though.

I called the election board near me recently and learned my vote was deactivated because I changed registration, so my new ballot will be counted sooner but if I do nothing they’ll just count it on 15 Nov

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[–] Leeks@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

If you are worried your mail in ballot is having issues, many states will allow you to cast a “provisional ballot” that only gets counted after they verify if your mail in ballot was processed.

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Since the ballots hadn't been collected, there's no way for the state to know the identity of voters who dropped off ballots that were destroyed in the fire because those ballots were destroyed.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You can look up your ballot status online to see if its been recieved.

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

That's cool. Any links to that, kind internet stranger?

[–] ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago

You can check if your ballot was received on a web site and they said if you know your ballot was in there, to reach out and request a new one.

[–] xantoxis@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

(from the point of the vote counters) They know because there are individualized bar codes on every envelope. They will just count every ballot that arrives intact. If they scan one and it's from a voter who has already been counted, they'll have to figure out if that's voting fraud or a legitimate consequence of an act of arson/other problem--and it's almost never voting fraud.

(from the point of view of the voter) assume your ballot was destroyed, get another one, vote again.

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[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 38 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Trump going win, because the fucking FBI didn't do their fucking job and stop demostic terrorists. We all know these are maga fuckrts and you all know they love to go online and brag. I am sure millions of them should be on a fucking list somewhere.

But if Harris doesn't get enough EC votes then Supreme Court will decide the presidentancy and we know how they will vote.

I just hope we have the guts to shut this fucking country down with largest general strike in history afterwards.

[–] RedditWanderer@lemmy.world 31 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Trump is likely not going to win. But that doesn't mean he won't become president by some other means, or cause another insurrection.

Either way the US is headed for tough time and it's the fault of far more people than just the FBI.

[–] ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 19 points 2 weeks ago

If he does somehow become president, I will be taking all the time off possible (ie general strike) and trying to convince everyone else to do the same.

Yes I'm in a "safe Republican" state. Don't care, that "party" shouldn't be in power.

[–] djsoren19@yiffit.net 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

A strike isn't going to be effective in the slightest. The people on the right are saying the streets will run red with blood, they're pushing for a civil war. That is what we should be preparing for if Trump wins.

[–] WhatYouNeed@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

I'm more worried what will happen when the orange rapist loses. Or even worse, it ends as some draw that is muddied legally and then all shit hit the fan.

Either way, Stephen Gobbels Miller, in conjunction with corrupt Roger Stone, will be pulling all sorts of undemocratic shit to maximise chaos

[–] cabron_offsets@lemmy.world 31 points 2 weeks ago

Traitors. And we must make sure they pay the price.

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This is why I mailed my wife's and my ballots inside the post office. It seems like a lot harder target than a box out in the open.

[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

We dropped ours at city hall. No way we were taking any chances.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

they should just empty them each night.

[–] habitualcynic@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 weeks ago

Not sure about this county but a lot seem to do this. Great idea for any that don’t already do it

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

So they're just straight up taking bits from Succession now?

[–] RubberElectrons@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Why wouldn't they, imagination and cleverness is not their strong suit as a whole.

That said, don't let your guard down.

[–] morphballganon@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Actual solution:

  1. Make the privacy envelopes out of a non-burnable material

  2. Design them to completely enclose the ballot

  3. Strongly urge their use to reduce the likelihood of ballots lost to arson

[–] Archer@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Actual solution is prosecuting the fuck out of these criminals to deter others

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