Fires Set in Ballot Drop Boxes in Oregon and Washington, Hundreds of Ballots Destroyed

 

In a troubling incident, fires were deliberately set in ballot drop boxes in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of ballots.

The Portland Police Bureau reported that officers and firefighters responded to a fire in a ballot drop box around 3:30 a.m. Authorities determined that an incendiary device had been placed inside the box. Fortunately, Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott stated that a fire suppression system within the drop box protected nearly all the ballots, with only three damaged. The elections office plans to reach out to those affected voters to assist them in obtaining replacement ballots.

Later that morning, a similar incident occurred across the Columbia River in Vancouver, where footage showed smoke billowing from a ballot box at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center. Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey reported that the fire suppression system in this drop box failed to work effectively, leading to the loss of hundreds of ballots. “It’s heartbreaking,” Kimsey said. “It’s a direct attack on democracy.”

Surveillance cameras monitored the drop box and surrounding area, aiding investigators. Kimsey noted that the last ballot pickup at the transit center drop box was scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday. Voters who submitted their ballots after that time were encouraged to contact the auditor’s office to obtain new ones.

In a prior incident on October 8, an incendiary device was found near a ballot drop box in downtown Vancouver, but it did not cause any damage. The FBI and other agencies have been investigating these incidents.

Both Oregon and Washington are vote-by-mail states, allowing registered voters to receive their ballots by mail weeks before the election and return them by mail or via drop boxes. Similar fires have also occurred in Phoenix, where officials reported that approximately five ballots were destroyed at a U.S. Postal Service station last week.

The incidents have sparked reactions on social media, with some commentators comparing the situation to election-related issues in Nigeria.