Early Voting Boxes Set on Fire in Oregon and Washington, Burning Hundreds of Ballots

On October 28, incendiary devices were detonated at two ballot boxes in Portland and nearby Vancouver, Washington. The fire destroyed hundreds of ballots in what officials called a “direct attack on democracy,” writes Associated Press.

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The Portland ballot box fire was quickly extinguished by a fire suppression system inside the box, police said. A nearby security guard also helped put out the blaze, leaving only three ballots damaged.

But a few hours later, another arson occurred at the Vancouver Transit Center, located near Portland. The cities of Portland (Oregon) and Vancouver (Washington) in the United States are located very close to each other, about 15 km apart. They are on opposite sides of the Columbia River. Vancouver is actually a suburb of Portland.

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Vancouver is the largest city in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, and is expected to host one of the most closely contested U.S. House races between Democratic Rep. Marie Glasenkamp Perez and Republican challenger Joe Kent.

The Vancouver ballot box had an internal fire suppression system, but the system failed to prevent hundreds of ballots from catching fire, said Greg Kimsey, the election auditor for Clark County, Washington, which includes Vancouver. He urged voters who dropped off their ballots at the transit center after 11 a.m. Oct. 00 to contact his office for replacement ballots.

"This is a direct attack on democracy," Kimsey said.

He said the office would increase the frequency of ballot collection and change its timing to evenings so that ballot boxes aren't left full of ballots at night, when arson is easier to commit.

Kimsey said the county decided late on Oct. 28 to hire workers to monitor all ballot drop boxes 911 hours a day before the election was over. They would be tasked with simply watching the drop boxes and not confronting anyone, and calling XNUMX if they saw anything suspicious.

Ballot boxes and conspiracy theories

Ballot boxes are often used for early voting by mail, allowing voters to perform their civic duty in advance without waiting until the main election day. They are secure, protected structures located in public places or near polling stations. The boxes are made of durable materials, often with protection against tampering and vandalism. They have several levels of protection, including sealing, video surveillance, and in some places, security. The boxes are placed in convenient locations - near libraries, municipal buildings, polling stations, and other public places to make access easy for voters.

These boxes operate throughout the early voting period and are often available 24/7, making them especially convenient for those who are unable to attend the polling station on the main election day. Voters fill out a ballot, place it in an envelope (sometimes a signature or identification number is required), and then drop the envelope into the box. These ballots are processed later, as part of the regular vote count. The boxes make it easier to participate in elections, especially for those who are unable to attend polling stations for various reasons. Among other things, they help reduce the load on polling stations on election day and help increase turnout.

The use of early voting drop boxes has become especially common since 2020, when such measures allowed for lower crowd density at polling stations and minimizing lines. But it is precisely since then that ballot boxes have become a target for criticism from Republicans, who are building entire conspiracy theories around them, although completely unfounded. Trump tirelessly repeats the lie that he was robbed of victory in 2020 due to fraud with mail-in ballots.

An Associated Press poll of U.S. state election officials found there were no widespread problems with ballot boxes in 2020 and none of the problems were likely to affect the election results.

Six states have banned ballot drop boxes as of 2020: Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and South Dakota, according to the Voting Rights Lab.

Voting Rights Lab is a nonprofit organization that works to protect and promote voters' rights. It monitors legislative changes, analyzes new laws related to elections and voting rights, and develops and promotes initiatives aimed at ensuring accessibility and fairness of elections for all citizens.

Other states have restricted the use of drop boxes, including Ohio and Iowa, which now allow only one drop box per county, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Washington and Oregon, which are vote-by-mail states, have long used ballot drop boxes.

A cowardly act of terrorism

Authorities said at a news conference in Portland that the two fires on Oct. 28 were linked to each other and to an Oct. 8 incident in which an incendiary device was placed in another ballot box in Vancouver. No ballots were damaged in that incident.

Security camera images showed a Volvo pulling up to a ballot drop box in Portland, Oregon, just before nearby security officers discovered a fire inside the box on Oct. 28, Portland Police Department spokesman Mike Benner said. Incendiary devices were attached to the outside of the boxes.

The FBI also conducted an investigation.

Fire suppression systems inside ballot boxes in Washington and Oregon were designed to activate when the temperature inside reaches a certain point, then dusting the ballots with a special fire-fighting powder.

The system apparently worked at a ballot drop box in Portland, and security personnel were on hand to help put out the fire. Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said the county has contracted with private security guards to patrol the county 24 hours a day and monitor all ballot drop boxes.

He said one of the security guards was at the county elections office, heard what sounded like an explosion (likely the fire sprinkler system going off), and called the police.

For unknown reasons, the system failed to prevent hundreds of ballots from being destroyed in Vancouver.

Glasenkamp Perez is asking for a law enforcement presence overnight at all ballot drop boxes in Clark County until Election Day.

"Southwest Washington cannot risk losing even one vote to arson and political violence," she said in a statement.

In a video posted on social media platform X, Kent condemned the “cowardly act of terrorism.” He said he trusted law enforcement to find out who was responsible, urged voters to make sure their ballots were counted, and said he still had faith in the ballot box system in Washington.

"No one should be intimidated," Kent stressed.

Voters were asked to check the status of their ballot online on the website www.votewa.govto track the status of their return. If a returned ballot is not marked as “received,” voters can print a new ballot or visit their local elections office to get a replacement, the secretary of state’s office said.

John Burnside, 68, and his wife dropped off their ballots at a Vancouver ballot box on Sunday afternoon and learned of the fire on the news the next morning. He checked the status of his ballots, saw that they had not been received by election officials, and requested new ones.

The couple now plan to either mail their ballots or deliver them in person.

"I definitely support in-person voting because you know your ballot is going to be accepted right away," he said. "It's an extra hassle, but it's safer to vote."

Officials in Portland were able to identify three voters whose ballots were damaged and planned to contact them to provide replacement ballots. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said it would increase patrols of uniformed and plainclothes officers around the drop boxes.

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Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said: "Voter intimidation or any criminal action aimed at undermining the upcoming election is un-American."

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said the state will not tolerate threats or acts of violence aimed at disrupting voting.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said state and local election officials are fully committed to ensuring every vote is accurately counted.

“This was a brutal attack on democracy, and we will do everything we can to ensure our election system in Washington is strong and secure,” Inslee said. “There will be enhanced security around the ballot drop-off locations, 24 hours a day.”

Last week in Phoenix, officials said about five ballots were destroyed and others damaged when a fire broke out in a ballot box at a U.S. Postal Service station.

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