'Voices will be heard.' Changes set to protect votes after L.A. ballot box set ablaze

Oct. 21--Election officials in Los Angeles County say they plan daily pickups at ballot drop boxes after someone set fire to one in Baldwin Hills containing scores of ballots.

The 8 p.m. Sunday blaze, started by a burning newspaper stuffed in the official drop box, took place outside the Baldwin Hills Library, McClatchy News previously reported.

On Tuesday, Baldwin Park police turned over 230 "pieces of material" recovered from the drop box to election officials, LAist reported.

"That doesn't necessarily equate to 230 ballots ... we need to go through those individually," said county Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan, according to the publication. His office hopes to retrieve names and addresses so voters can be notified if their ballot was destroyed.

Election workers had last picked up ballots from the Baldwin Hills drop box at 10 a.m. Saturday, LAist reported.

The fire is being investigated as a suspected arson case and the FBI has been notified, Fox News reported.

As a result of the blaze, ballot drop boxes will now be cleared daily in Los Angeles County, The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported. They had previously been collected every 48 hours.

"The arson of an official ballot drop box by the Baldwin Park Library in the First District has all the signs of an attempt to disenfranchise voters and call into question the security of our elections," wrote county Supervisor Hilda Solis on Twitter.

"Tampering, or attempts to tamper, with our democracy will not be tolerated," Solis wrote.

"Rest assured, LA County residents' voices will be heard when they vote, including in this election," Solis said in a news release with her Twitter post.

Early voting in the Nov. 3 election, which pits President Donald Trump against Democratic challenger Joe Biden, among other races, has broken records across the United States.

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