In the final stretch before Election Day, ballots have been set on fire and damaged in two ballot drop boxes and a Postal Service mailbox in three states. Federal officials have warned that in recent months, some social media users have encouraged sabotage of ballot drop boxes.
Early on Monday morning in Oregon, Portland police responded to a fire they say was started by “an incendiary device” inside a ballot drop box. Oregon’s Multnomah County Elections Division said in a statement that three ballots were damaged. “Fire suppressant inside the ballot box protected virtually all ballots,” the statement read.
Hours later, another drop box was set on fire in nearby Vancouver, Washington, where officials say “hundreds” of ballots were badly damaged when that box’s fire suppression system failed to work.
“The majority of the ballots are completely destroyed and the remaining ballots are severely damaged and very very wet,” Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey told NPR. He said his office is increasing the number of drop box retrievals so ballots don’t sit in the boxes as long.
At a press conference, Portland police officials said they believed the two incidents are connected.
“It’s heartbreaking. It’s a direct attack on democracy,” said Kimsey, who has held his position for 26 years.
Law enforcement including the Federal Bureau of Investigation is still investigating in both Washington and Oregon, where election officials are asking voters who dropped their ballots off at these drop boxes over the weekend to get in contact so they can be sure to vote.
In a statement, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs denounced what he described as “acts of terror” and reminded voters that they could check online to see if their ballot had been marked as returned and would be able to print out replacement ballots or cast one in person.
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