A postal service collection box was set on fire early on Thursday in Phoenix, damaging a small number of mail-in ballots dropped off at the box.
Local media reported the incident on Thursday, citing police and fire department officials who said the United States Postal Service mailbox was on fire at about 1.30am local time.
Phoenix police said they arrested 35-year-old Dieter Klofkorn, who had an unrelated arrest warrant. Police said he was interviewed about the arson while in custody and admitted to the crime, a felony.
“Klofkorn stated that he committed the arson because he wanted to be arrested and that his actions were not politically motivated and not related to anything involving the upcoming election,” police said in a press release.
The exact number of ballots affected is not certain yet: police initially said about 20 were damaged, but the Arizona secretary of state’s office said it believes there were a handful affected, ABC reported.
The Phoenix mayor, Kate Gallego, previously said on Twitter/X that she was concerned about the ballot fire. “There is zero tolerance for criminal activity in our community, and we are working collaboratively with every level of government to bring the perpetrator to justice,” she wrote.
The Maricopa county recorder’s office encourages any voters who dropped off their ballots at the mailbox, near 7th Avenue and Indian School Road in Phoenix, in the last 36 hours to monitor the status of their ballots online.
“Voters should be aware that tomorrow, October 25 is the last day to request a replacement ballot,” the Maricopa county recorder Stephen Richer said in a statement.
While the suspect said his actions were not politically motivated, Arizona elections officials have prepared for months for acts of violence or destruction because of the close election and concerning activity in past elections, such as dropbox monitoring in the 2022 midterms.
The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted how elections offices now have new barricades and will use drones and police snipers to patrol the exterior of their buildings. Some election workers have completed active-shooter trainings and learned to “wield fire hoses to repel armed mobs”, the paper reported.
Separately, police arrested a man this week in Phoenix who had been shooting at Democratic National Committee offices there and placed anti-Democratic signs outside his home that had razor blades and an unknown white powder attached to them. The man had amassed 120 guns and 250,000 rounds of ammunition, leading prosecutors to believe he was preparing to commit an act of mass casualty.
And in another incident, a school district employee in Tempe, Arizona, was arrested over threats he made last week against Donald Trump Jr and Charlie Kirk. The man sent threatening responses to an automated text seeking RSVPs for an event the two Republicans held in the city.
