Ballot box fires being investigated in Oregon, Washington after hundreds of ballots were destroyed

Federal authorities are investigating fires that broke out at two drop boxes in the Portland, Oregon, area Monday morning, destroying hundreds of ballots at one location, and another fire reported earlier this month.

Mike Benner, a spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, said Monday that evidence from incendiary devices found at the polls showed the fires were related, with a third incident reported on Oct. 8 in Vancouver, Washington. Election officials said most ballots in Portland were unaffected, but hundreds of ballots were destroyed at a polling station in Vancouver.

Portland police said they also identified a “suspicious vehicle” seen leaving the scene of a fire in Portland, which is also believed to be linked to two incidents in Vancouver. a newsletter Monday. They said the car appeared to be a “black or dark colored 2001-2004 Volvo S-60” with no front license plate and an unknown rear license plate.

“We don’t know the motives behind these actions, it sounds like a series of three at this point, but we do know that actions like this are targeted and intentional,” Portland Police Bureau Deputy Chief Amanda McMillan said at a news conference Monday. “We are concerned about this deliberate action attempting to influence the election process. “We are committed to stopping this type of behavior and that is what we are working towards today.”

Meanwhile, the FBI is conducting a “separate but parallel investigation” into the matter, Benner said. The agency’s Seattle office confirmed to CNN that they were working on the investigation.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee said in a statement Monday evening that “there will be increased security around polling places 24 hours a day.”

“While law enforcement investigates this incident, we urge concerned voters in the Vancouver area to contact or check with the Clark County Auditor’s Office. Vote on WA.gov For accurate information on how to obtain a new ballot or how to track ballots once they are returned. “There are many ways for voters to vote and make sure their voices are heard,” he said.

A call was made to the polls in the early hours of the morning.

The Portland Police Bureau said police responded to a call about a fire in Portland around 3:30 a.m. Monday morning. a statement. A “fire device” was attached to the side of the box and security personnel extinguished the fire, officials said. Police had previously said the device was placed inside the box.

Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said three ballots were damaged and 409 ballots were protected by a fire extinguisher inside the ballot box.

The second ballot box was set on fire at a bus terminal in Vancouver, Washington, early Monday morning, according to the Vancouver Police Department. Police said when officers arrived at the scene, they found a “suspicious device” next to the box that was producing smoke and burning.

Laura Shepard, a spokeswoman for the City of Vancouver, said election officials are asking anyone who may have placed a ballot in a ballot box after 11 a.m. Saturday to contact them to check on the status of their ballot. Election officials are still counting all ballots involved in the Vancouver fire but believe hundreds of ballots were destroyed, according to Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey.

“Some were damaged and could be copied and processed later, some were severely damaged, some were completely destroyed,” he told CNN.

An incendiary device was found at a ballot box in Vancouver after someone called on Oct. 8 to report the ballot box was smoky, Benner said.

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs condemned the fire and confirmed that some ballots were damaged.

“We take the safety of our election workers seriously and will not tolerate threats or acts of violence aimed at undermining the democratic process,” Hobbs said, adding that he has “full confidence in the ability of our county election officials to keep and conduct elections safe and secure in Washington.” It is safe for all voters.”

Officials in Portland plan to contact the three affected voters “via unique identifiers on their ballots so they can receive replacement ballots.” Scott said voters who dropped off their ballots at the polls between 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Monday should contact the Multnomah County Elections Division if they have concerns.

“Voters need to be assured that their votes will be counted, even if their ballots are in the affected ballot box,” Scott said.

Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said the fire was “an attack on our democracy and is completely unacceptable.” “Whatever the motivation behind this incident, there is no justification for any attempt to disenfranchise voters.”

All ballot drop boxes in Multnomah County and Clark County have fire extinguishers, election officials said at a news conference Monday. Scott told CNN that voting by mail is the most popular method in Multnomah County since less than 1 percent of people vote in person; 60 percent of the votes cast in Clark County came from ballot drop boxes, Kimsey said.

Next steps as Election Day approaches

Multnomah County Executive Jessica Vega said Pederson and law enforcement in Multnomah County and Vancouver, Washington, plan to increase ballot drop box patrols in the area. The ballot box in Portland has already been replaced.

The boxes are about 15 miles apart. The one in Vancouver is in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. The most competitive House races in the country It’s happening.

The district is represented by Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, one of five Democratic-held seats in the district that former President Donald Trump won in 2020. Perez faces a rematch with Republican Joe Kent, a retired Green Beret who has Trump’s endorsement.

Following the damage, Gluesenkamp Perez requested an overnight presence of law enforcement at polling places in Clark County through Election Day. Speaking to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Monday, he told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that he wasn’t angry about the damaged ballots for partisan reasons “because I’m an American who is seeing the corrosive and toxic environment that we’re seeing across the country really coming home.” It is a damaging and ugly way.”

Other fires affecting ballot drop boxes have been reported across the country recently. Last week, a mailbox outside a Phoenix post office was set on fire, damaging an unknown number of ballots. A 35-year-old man has been charged with arson in connection with the incident. The Phoenix Police Department said he told them the incident was not politically motivated.

The fires come after the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security recently issued a bulletin expressing concerns that “election-related grievances,” such as belief in voter fraud, could motivate domestic extremists to resort to violence in the weeks before and after the November election.

In the intelligence bulletin obtained by CNN, the agencies said some domestic violent extremists likely view public places, including polling places, as “attractive targets.”

Benner said he had no information about whether these incidents were related to the bulletin, but noted that Portland police’s criminal intelligence unit is “monitoring anything” related to planned attacks on polls or civil unrest.

CNN’s Chris Boyette, Ethan Cohen, Sean Lyngaas and Natasha Chen contributed to this report.

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