Police are investigating three suspected arson attacks on ballot drop boxes in Washington and Oregon, which they believe may be connected, and have identified a suspect vehicle in Oregon, officials announced on Monday.
Separate fires broke out on Monday in Portland, Oregon, damaging three ballots, and in Vancouver, Washington, where hundreds of ballots were destroyed. Officials noted these incidents were similar to a previous arson attempt at a Vancouver ballot box on October 8, where no ballots were harmed.
“We don’t know the motive,” said Amanda McMillan, Assistant Chief of the Portland Police Department, at a news conference. “But we do know these acts are targeted and intentional.”
Police officials indicated that potential charges for the suspect include possession of a destructive device and other voting-related offenses.
Local footage from Vancouver news outlet KATU showed smoke billowing from a ballot box with ballots visibly aflame. Voters who deposited ballots after 3:30 p.m. PDT (2230 GMT) on Saturday were advised to contact election officials. Vancouver Police responded to the incident at 4 a.m. PDT (1100 GMT) on Monday and removed a “suspicious device” found beside the ballot box.
Earlier on Monday, police responded to a similar incident at a Portland ballot box, attributed to an incendiary device. Multnomah County’s election director reported that only three ballots were damaged and that the affected voters will be contacted to submit replacement ballots.
Fire suppression systems inside the boxes minimized damage in the Portland and October Vancouver fires, though they failed to activate in Monday’s Vancouver incident.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs urged voters to verify their ballot status online and request replacements if necessary. “I strongly denounce any acts of terror intended to disrupt fair and lawful elections in Washington state,” Hobbs said in a statement, adding his confidence in the state’s election officials to ensure security.
The Vancouver ballot boxes were located in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, one of the most competitive U.S. House races, featuring Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican Joe Kent.
Gluesenkamp Perez called for overnight law enforcement monitoring of ballot boxes in the district. The 36-year-old car mechanic narrowly won the seat in 2022 by fewer than 3,000 votes.
In a similar incident, a man in Phoenix was arrested after a ballot drop box was set on fire last Thursday, resulting in the destruction of approximately 20 ballots, according to local reports.
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