BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston Police have charged 39-year-old Worldy Armand in connection with a ballot drop-off box that was set on fire in Copley Square early Sunday morning.
Police say the incident happened at around 4 a.m. on Sunday, where they found Boston Fire tending to smoke coming from the ballot box located outside the Boston Public Library on 700 Boylston St. Crews were able to put out the fire by filling the box with water.
After hearing reports of the fire, Massachusetts Secretary Bill Galvin asked the FBI to investigate. In a joint statement issued on Sunday, both Galvin and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh urged voters not to be intimidated by the incident.
“What happened in the early hours of this morning to the ballot drop box in Copley Square is a disgrace to democracy, a disrespect to the voters fulfilling their civic duty, and a crime,” the statement read. “Our first and foremost priority is maintaining the integrity of our elections process and ensuring transparency and trust with our voters, and any effort to undermine or tamper with that process must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We ask voters not to be intimidated by this bad act, and remain committed to making their voices heard in this and every election.”
According to a statement from Boston Police, officers were on patrol at around 11 p.m. on Sunday night near Copley Square, where they took 39-year-old Worldy Armand into custody and later identified him as a suspect through an investigation.
“I want to thank the Boston Police Department for their swift action, our law enforcement partners and members of the community who all played a role that led to the arrest of the suspect in the Copley Square ballot dropbox incident," Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement. "Voters can be assured that our first and foremost priority is maintaining the integrity of our elections process. We remain committed to making their voices heard in this and every election, and maintaining transparency and trust with voters.”
Armand is set to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on a charge of "Willful and Malicious Burning."
Galvin said voters who used the Copley Square drop-off box between 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and 4 a.m. on Sunday can track their ballots at www.TrackMyBallotMA.com to confirm that election officials have received it. Those who used the box and are not able to confirm their ballot status through the website are urged to contact the Boston Elections Department immediately.
Voters who were impacted have the option of using a replacement ballot from the City of Boston or voting in person until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Officials say any affected voter who does not submit a new ballot will have their original ballot hand-counted to the extent possible.
WBZ NewsRadio's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports:
Written by Rachel Armany
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