Ballot drop boxes in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, were set on fire in connected incidents just days before Election Day. An identical Volvo was seen at both locations, leading authorities to believe the two incidents are related. In Portland, an incendiary device was placed in a sidewalk ballot box, damaging three ballots. In Vancouver, potentially hundreds of ballots were affected by a fire in a ballot box near the Fisher’s Landing Transit Depot. The FBI is investigating the incidents.
Both cities’ police departments described the incidents as targeted and intentional. The Multnomah County election office reassured voters that their ballots will still be counted, as the fire suppressant inside the ballot box protected most of the ballots. Authorities have not determined a motive, but election officials across the country are on high alert for similar incidents.
Earlier this month, the Vancouver bomb squad responded to reports of a suspicious device near a ballot box, though the box itself was not compromised. Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has requested increased law enforcement presence at all ballot drop boxes in Clark County to prevent further incidents. Republican candidate Joe Kent expressed confidence that authorities will stop those responsible for the attacks. Additional incidents of ballot boxes being damaged have occurred in Phoenix, where a suspect was arrested for arson, though the incident was not believed to be politically motivated.
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