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PORTLAND, OR, (WSAU) – Police have opened an investigation into ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington state that were set on fire, resulting in possibly up to a thousand ballots being destroyed.
According to the Portland Police Bureau, a ballot box located at the 1000 block of Southeast Morrison Street was set on fire, and police responded to a call at 3:30 am PST. When officers arrived at the scene, security personnel had extinguished the fire that was believed to have been started with the use of an incendiary device that was placed inside the box with an unknown number of ballots being burned beyond repair in the process.
That incident was followed by a second ballot box being set on fire a short distance away in Vancouver, Washington, with police noting that hundreds of ballots were destroyed, as video released by KATU 2 shows a large pile of still-burning material falling from the box onto the pavement when opened. It’s believed that the same type of incendiary device was used in this incident as well, with Clark County auditor Greg Kimsey telling OregonLive, “It appears that a device was attached to the outside of the ballot drop box that resulted in the ballots being ignited.”
In a statement, FBI officials said, “The FBI is coordinating with federal, state, and local partners to actively investigate the two incidents in Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, in the early morning hours of Monday, October 28th, to determine who is responsible. Anyone with information is asked to contact the nearest FBI office, provide information through tips.fbi.gov, or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324).”
This incident could prove to be important as the Vancouver area is home to one of the closest Congressional races in the country, as a recent poll from the Northwest Progressive Institute has incumbent Democrat Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez running a tied race with Republican Joe Kent, with 8% of respondents’ still undecided.
Ballot drop box security has been an issue in communities across the country, from Pennsylvania to here in central Wisconsin, as the Wausau city counsel declined to vote on Mayor Doug Diny’s proposal to improve security measures for the city hall drop box earlier this month while many other Wisconsin county and community officials voted to not use them in any capacity this cycle due to security concerns.
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