WEST ORANGE, NJ – Election vote-by-mail ballots in West Orange, New Jersey have been found in a dumpster behind a bank and now, postal inspectors are investigating the matter. The find was made by New Jersey resident Howard Dinger who photographed the discarded mail and notified the police.
“Just found two to 300 lb of mail dumped in a dumpster behind one of the banks I service. Including at least 200 ballots,” Dinger posted on Facebook. “This is the kind of stuff you just can’t make up. And yes it was reported to the local police and the postal police.”
The U.S. Postal Service said the mail has since been retrieved and delivered, but the question in New Jersey remains, how many ballots are not going to be delivered because of negligence, fraud and intentional destruction such as the display in West Orange?
After Dinger reported the find, he was attacked on Facebook for reporting it, many claiming his photo was a hoax.
“I found the mail personally and I can vouch for its authenticity. The local police were called and so were the postal police,” Dinger responded to the criticism. “And all the people that are pissed off about me posting this are probably postal employees that have done the same goddamn thing. That’s the only reason I can see for being pissed off about my post. So for all those who have a problem with what I posted go jump in a lake.”
Postal carriers dumping mail is not new. It has been documented many times over the years, however now, with mail-in ballots being sent out by county clerks across New Jersey, there’s a heightened sense of awareness.