Ballots Damaged After Mailbox Set on Fire in Swing State: What We Know

At least a dozen ballots were damaged after a mailbox was set on fire in Phoenix, the largest city in battleground state Arizona, officials said.
Police arrested 35-year-old Dieter Klofkorn in connection to the fire, the Phoenix Police Department announced in a press release Thursday afternoon. He allegedly set fire to the mailbox at about located at a Post Office at 3905 North 7th Avenue at about 1 a.m., according to the release.
Firefighters forced the box open and put out the fire, finding that ballots and other mail was damaged, the Phoenix Fire Department wrote in a statement to Newsweek.
Later in the day, police located and arrested Klofkorn, police said.
“While in custody, he was interviewed about his involvement in the arson. Klofkorn admitted to committing the arson. 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,” the statement said.
It is unclear if he has an attorney. Newsweek reached out to the Phoenix public defenders to inquire about his representation.
Local news station KSAZ-TV reported that a total of 20 ballots were damaged in the fire, which remains under investigation by local firefighters and U.S. Postal inspectors.
Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, wrote in a statement to Newsweek that many undamaged ballots have been recovered, and affected voters will be contacted to “make sure they’re able to cast a vote.”
“Any attack that strikes at our democratic process carries criminal consequences. Ballot abuse is a felony in Arizona, and mailbox vandalism is a federal crime,” Fontes said.
Ballot boxes in Arizona are equipped with “security controls to prevent and detect physical attacks,” Fontes said.
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said in the statement that authorities are waiting for more details about the ballots from law enforcement, encouraging all voters who used the mailbox within the past 36 hours to check the status of their ballots online.
“Successful delivery is usually reflected on that website within 72 hours. Voters should be aware that tomorrow, October 25 is the last day to request a replacement ballot,” he said.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, a Democrat, wrote in a post to X (formerly Twitter) that she is “concerned about the recent incident at one of our post offices involving damage to several ballots.”
“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.
Newsweek reached out to the Arizona secretary of state office for comment via email.
Arizona is one of the most closely watched states of the election cycle. It is roughly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, and polls point to a toss-up race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
FiveThirtyEight’s polling aggregate on Thursday showed Trump with a 1.8-point lead over Harris; one month earlier on September 24, he held a 1.2-point lead in the race. Trump is set to campaign in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix, later Thursday.
There is also a competitive Senate race in Arizona, between Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake. FiveThirtyEight’s polling aggregate showed Gallego up 6.8 points over Lake on Thursday.
In 2020, Arizona was one of the closest states, backing President Joe Biden by 0.3 percent, or 10,457 votes.
Update 10/24/2024 5:26 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Dieter Klofkor