Two ballot boxes were set on fire in Washington and Oregon on Monday, potentially compromising hundreds of mail-in votes just a week before Election Day.
The Portland Police Bureau responded to a fire in the Buckman neighborhood around 3:30 a.m. Security personnel extinguished the flames before officers arrived and discovered an “incendiary device,” leading them to classify the incident as arson.
In a similar incident, the Vancouver Police Department in southern Washington reported an arson at a ballot box at 4 a.m., where they found smoke coming from the box along with a “suspicious object” nearby.
The FBI confirmed it is “coordinating with federal, state, and local partners to actively investigate the two incidents.” However, they did not specify whether the arsons would be treated as domestic terrorism.
Damage Reports and Responses
Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey stated during a joint press conference that a significant number of ballots were destroyed in the Vancouver fire, estimating it to be in the hundreds. He noted that the fire suppression system in the ballot box had malfunctioned. The last pick-up from the box occurred at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Voters who believe their ballots were in the box during the fire can request new ones through the county’s voting website. Kimsey also mentioned that there would be increased security measures around the drop boxes, with ballot pick-ups scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
In contrast, Multnomah County election official Tim Scott reported that only three ballots were lost in the Portland fire, and those affected would be contacted.
The two burned boxes were located about 15 miles apart, and police believe the arsons are linked.
Political Reactions
The Vancouver incident was reminiscent of a previous arson that took place on October 8, prior to ballots being mailed out, according to The Oregonian.
The Vancouver ballot box is situated in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, where Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is vying to retain her seat, which she narrowly won in 2022 against Republican challenger Joe Kent.
Both candidates condemned the acts of arson. Gluesenkamp Perez stated, “Southwest Washington cannot risk a single vote being lost to arson and political violence. We can’t yield to intimidation, and we must continue to stand up against unpatriotic acts such as this one.”
Kent echoed her sentiments on X, urging voters not to be discouraged by “a cowardly act of terrorism” and emphasizing the importance of voter turnout and early voting.
