On Monday, two ballot drop boxes in the Pacific Northwest were set on fire, prompting concerns from election officials that hundreds of ballots may have been destroyed. In Portland, Oregon, police responded around 3:30 a.m. to a fire at a ballot box and determined that an incendiary device had been used to ignite it. After confirming it was arson, the Portland Police Bureau requested public assistance in identifying the suspect.
In Vancouver, Washington, a fire at another ballot drop box was reported about an hour later, with police finding a suspicious device nearby. This incident resulted in hundreds of ballots being either destroyed or damaged, as reported by Clark County auditor Greg Kimsey. Mike Benner from the Portland Police Bureau stated that investigators believe the two incidents are related and that a suspect vehicle was identified from surveillance footage. The FBI is also investigating both fires.
Mr. Kimsey estimated that hundreds of ballots were destroyed in the Vancouver box. He recommended that anyone who had deposited their ballot in that drop box after 11 a.m. on Saturday, when the box was last emptied, should contact the elections department to obtain a replacement. Elections officials in Portland said the fire triggered a suppression system inside the ballot box that discharged fire suppressant, protecting almost all the ballots except for three. For the ones damaged, the Multnomah County Elections Division said it would contact each voter to ensure they receive a replacement ballot. The department urged people to report suspicious activity around any ballot box to authorities.
Last week, a fire at a postal collection box in Phoenix led to the arrest of a man for arson, who reportedly had no political motives but expressed a desire to be arrested. The fire damaged 20 ballots and surrounding mail. The Department of Homeland Security had previously issued a warning about potential threats involving incendiary devices targeting ballot boxes in July, based on information from an informant who had sought advice online for such attacks. This included using materials like “cherry bombs, road flares, lighting gel, gasoline, kerosene, a rag soaked with linseed oil, and ‘paper-shaped incendiary device’ with white phosphorus,” according to The New York Times.
The fires may also be connected to a third on October 8, which occurred in Vancouver as well. On September 10, the US Department of Homeland Security posted a bulletin, obtained by the group Property of the People, a non-profit striving for “government transparency.” The bulletin alerted: “Some social media users are discussing and encouraging various methods of sabotaging ballot drop boxes and avoiding detection, likely heightening the potential for targeting of this election infrastructure through the 2024 election cycle,” according to CNN.
While Oregon and Washington are heavily democratic states in the upcoming presidential election, both have several closely monitored races down the ballot. Voters in Vancouver are participating in the competitive Third Congressional District election between Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican Joe Kent. Meanwhile, Portland is facing a contentious mayoral race.
In response to the recent ballot box fires, Democratic Representative of Washington state Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has called for an overnight law enforcement presence at all ballot boxes in Clark County until Election Day.
