Hundreds of ballots were destroyed after ballot drop boxes in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, were set on fire on Monday. Police said that a “suspect vehicle” has been identified.
Authorities said at a news conference in Portland that enough material from the incendiary devices was recovered to show that the two fires Monday were connected—and that they were also connected to an Oct. 8 incident, when an incendiary device was placed at a different ballot drop box in Vancouver.
At least two separate incidents occurred early in the morning. The Portland Police Bureau reported that officers and firefighters responded to a 3:30 a.m. 911 call about a ballot box on fire.
Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said that an “incendiary device” placed inside the ballot box caused the fire. Fortunately, a fire suppressant within the drop box protected nearly all ballots, with only three sustaining damage. His office plans to contact those voters to assist in obtaining replacement ballots.
“We have multiple systems and security measures in place to ensure your ballot is safe,” Scott said in a statement.
Security teams patrol and monitor ballot boxes around the clock, and no other ballot boxes or official drop sites in Multnomah County were affected, the press release said.
About 30 minutes later, around 4 a.m., officers in Vancouver, Washington, responded to a report of a ballot box smoking and on fire, also caused by an incendiary device.
Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said that while a fire suppression system was installed in the ballot box at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center, it failed to activate. Responders removed a burning pile of ballots from inside, hundreds were lost.
Kimsey said this incident is “heartbreaking” and “a direct attack on democracy.” The last ballot pickup at the transit center was 11 a.m. Saturday. To prevent future incidents, collection times will shift to the evening, and ballot pickups will occur more frequently.
“While an investigation is ongoing, we believe some ballots were damaged. We are confident the Clark County Auditor’s Office will work diligently to ensure that any impacted voters receive replacement ballots in time to participate in the 2024 general election,” said the Washington Secretary of State’s Office.
In a statement, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said, “we take the safety of our election workers seriously and will not tolerate threats or acts of violence that seek to undermine the democratic process.”
“I strongly denounce any acts of terror that aim to disrupt lawful and fair elections in Washington state. Despite this incident, I have complete confidence in our county elections official’s ability to keep Washington’s elections safe and secure for all voters,” he added.
Vancouver, the largest city in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, is the site of a highly competitive U.S. House race between Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican challenger Joe Kent.
Washington and Oregon, both vote-by-mail states, send ballots to registered voters a few weeks before elections. Voters return them by mail or place them in ballot drop boxes.
This attack on ballot drop-off boxes follows a similar incident a week earlier, when a fire set in a postal collection box damaged several mail-in ballots in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.