Ballot drop boxes set on fire, votes destroyed in US ballot fire

Portland Police Bureau responded to a call about a fire in Portland about 3:30 a.m. Monday, according to a statement. An “incendiary device” was attached to the side of the box and security personnel extinguished the fire, officials said. Police previously said the device was placed inside the box.

Hundreds of ballots were burned on Monday in Vancouver, a small city in Washington state less than 10 miles (16km) from Portland, Oregon with local media reporting that a device was stuck to the outside of a ballot drop box.

Federal authorities are investigating the incidence as evidence from the incendiary devices found at the ballot boxes show the fires are connected, as well as a third incident reported in Vancouver, Washington, on October 8, said Mike Benner, a spokesperson for Portland Police Bureau. While many of the ballots in Portland were unaffected, hundreds of ballots were destroyed in a Vancouver ballot box, election officials said.

Portland police also identified a “suspect vehicle” seen leaving the scene of the fire in Portland, which is believed to be tied to the two incidents in Vancouver as well, they said in a news release Monday. The car appears to be “a black or dark-colored 2001-2004 Volvo S-60” that’s missing a front plate and has an unknown rear plate, they said.

“We don’t know the motives behind these acts, sounds like a series of three at this point, but we do know that acts like this are targeted and intentional,” Portland Police Bureau Assistant Chief Amanda McMillan said during a news conference Monday. “We are concerned about that intentional act trying to affect the election process. We’re dedicated to stopping that kind of behavior and we are working toward that today.”

Dedicated ballot drop boxes are used in a number of US states and cities to allow voters to submit their ballots early without having to wait in a queue on Election Day.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement Monday evening “there will be 24-hour enhanced security around ballot drop-off locations.”

“While law enforcement investigates this incident, we urge concerned Vancouver-area voters to check with the Clark County Auditor’s office or VoteWA.gov for accurate information about how to obtain a replacement ballot or track their ballot once it has been returned. There are multiple ways for voters to cast their ballot and make sure their voice is heard,” he said.

Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said three ballots were damaged, 409 ballots were protected by fire suppressant inside the box.

The second ballot box was set on fire early Monday morning at a bus station in Vancouver, Washington, according to the Vancouver Police Department. When officers arrived, they found a “suspicious device” next to the box, which was smoking and on fire, police said.

Laura Shepard, a spokesperson for the city of Vancouver, said elections officials are asking anyone who may have placed a ballot in the box after 11 a.m. on Saturday to contact them to check the status of their ballot. Election officials are still counting all the ballots involved in the Vancouver fire, but believe hundreds of ballots were destroyed, according to Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey.

“Some were damaged and might be able to be duplicated and then processed, some were severely damaged, some were completely destroyed,” he told CNN.

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs condemned the fire and confirmed some ballots were damaged.

“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,” Hobbs said, adding he has “complete confidence in our county elections officials’ ability to keep Washington’s elections safe and secure for all voters.”

“Voters should be assured that even if their ballots were in the affected box, their votes will be counted,” Scott said.

Last week a man in Phoenix, Arizona, was charged with setting a US post box on fire that contained around 20 ballots, court records show.

The man told police his actions were not politically motivated, and that he was homeless and intended to commit a minor crime so that he would be sent to jail.

The Phoenix box was for general post, while the boxes set alight in Portland and Vancouver were only used for ballots.