Police and FBI investigate as ballot boxes are set on fire in Oregon and Washington
Police in two separate states are investigating after ballot box fires were set within eight days of Election Day in what appear to be serious cases of attempted election interference.
In Portland, Oregon, police are investigating after a ballot box in Southeast Portland was set on fire early Monday morning and hundreds of votes were destroyed.
Officers responded to the fire around 3:30 a.m. When they arrived, the fire had already been extinguished by security personnel working in the area.
Meanwhile, early Monday morning, flames and smoke were spotted coming from a ballot box in Vancouver, Washington.
The latest troubling incident comes a week after Pennsylvania launched an investigation into 2,500 suspected fraudulent voter applications.
Authorities working to extinguish a fire at a polling place in Vancouver, WA, began early Monday morning. It was one of two fires set early Monday at two polling places in two separate states
In Portland, police determined that an “incendiary device” had been placed in the ballot box, causing the fire, according to local reports.
The local police explosive ordnance disposal unit cleared the device. Authorities have not said how many ballots are involved.
In Vancouver, authorities said someone placed a device outside the polls and started the fire. Members of the explosive ordnance disposal policy unit were called in to safely remove the device.
An image released by the Portland Police Bureau shows the ballot box after an ‘incendiary device’ was discovered in the ballot box and caused a fire
According to local police, the FBI is investigating.
Clark County’s elections auditor told a local station that the last time ballots were collected there was around 11 a.m. Saturday. Anyone who subsequently drops off a ballot may face consequences.
At the time the fire was started, there were hundreds of ballots in the ballot box, only a few of which could be saved.
The fire burned at the polls in Vancouver, WA early Monday morning. Police say the fire was started by a device placed outside the ballot box that contained hundreds of ballots at the time
Voters who have returned their ballots and could be impacted are encouraged to contact their local elections office.
They could be eligible to fill out a provisional ballot to ensure their vote counts in such situations.
The two separate incidents come as election officials express concerns about voting security with Election Day just eight days away.
More than 43 million people have already voted in person or by mail in the 2024 election.