POLITICS: FBI Reveals Key Detail Linking Rash Of Ballot Dropbox Fires

The FBI is investigating three separate ballot boxes set on fire on the West Coast for potential ties to pro-Palestinian activists after phrases popularized by activists were reportedly found on the boxes.

Messages such as “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine” were allegedly discovered on the incendiary devices that damaged ballot boxes in Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, according to two unnamed law enforcement officials who spoke to The New York Times.

A political letter was also reportedly found in one of the Washington drop boxes. The message read, “ALL DROP BOXES WILL BURN. FREE GAZA,” according to the New York Post. It has not been confirmed whether this message is linked to the same suspect.

One of the officials told the Times that investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the phrases were added to mislead investigators and provoke public backlash, reports said.

Two of the incidents occurred on Monday. Police reported that three ballots were burned at the Portland ballot box after a fire suppression system managed to save most of the ballots. In contrast, hundreds of ballots were destroyed at one of the Vancouver locations due to a failure of the fire suppression system at that box, according to the reports.

On October 8, another ballot box was set on fire in Vancouver. The three incidents are currently under investigation as connected.

“There was enough evidence collected at all three scenes that lead us to believe that all three incidents are connected, and we cannot get into more detail,” Mike Benner, a spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, told the Times on Monday.

With just a week remaining until Election Day, the latest polling from AtlasIntel—the most accurate pollster from the 2020 cycle—indicates a shift in momentum toward former President Donald Trump in critical swing states.

According to the data, Trump is now leading Vice President Kamala Harris in several battlegrounds, disrupting what had been a closely contested race.

The swing state polling also presents a compelling picture of the current landscape. Trump is ahead in six of the seven states surveyed, many of which were crucial to Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.

In Arizona, Trump leads by 3.5 points, reflecting a change in a state that Biden narrowly won previously. In Georgia, another state that turned blue in 2020, Trump is ahead by 3.4 points.

In Pennsylvania, which is considered one of the most pivotal states, AtlasIntel shows Trump leading by 2.7 points, signaling potential challenges for Harris in a state that Democrats view as vital. The margins are tighter in Michigan and Nevada, where Trump leads by 1.2 and 0.9 points, respectively.

#NEW FINAL electoral map based on AtlasIntel polls – most accurate pollster of the 2020 election

Trump: 296
Harris: 242 pic.twitter.com/PN5q5rHzlO

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 29, 2024

In Wisconsin, Trump holds a narrow 0.5-point advantage, suggesting a tight race that could come down to the wire. The only swing state where Harris currently leads is North Carolina, where she is ahead by just 0.5 points, highlighting the overall competitiveness of the race in this historically red-leaning state.

National polling trends present a similarly close picture.

In a two-way matchup, Trump leads Harris by 1.7 points, securing 49.8% support compared to Harris’s 48.1%. The numbers are slightly more favorable for Trump in a full-field scenario, where he holds a 2.5-point lead with 49.5% support.

Harris trails at 47%, while Green Party candidate Jill Stein polls at 0.8% and Libertarian Larry Sharpe attracts 0.2%. For Harris, the challenge lies not only in narrowing Trump’s leads in key states but also in solidifying her base and persuading undecided voters who could ultimately swing the election.

The Senate race in Arizona is also heating up, with Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake engaged in a tight contest.

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