(Matt Lamb, Headline USA) Hundreds of ballots have likely been burned after someone set a ballot drop box on fire in the state of Washington on Monday morning.
Another ballot box in nearby Portland, Ore., was also set on fire after someone placed an “incendiary device” on the outside of the drop box, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
It had been nearly two full days since the last ballot pick up in Vancouver, Washington, according to local news outlet KATU.
The box is in the 3rd Congressional District where Republican Joe Kent is running against Democrat Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.
The Associated Press considers the election a swing race.
Video posted by reporter Evan Bell showed workers trying to take burning ballots out of the box.
The Clark County Elections ballot drop box at the Fisher's Landing Transit Center was lit on fire this morning. Clark Co. Auditor Greg Kimsey says hundreds of ballots were inside at the time, the last pickup being 11AM Saturday. Full story here https://t.co/sYkz8ydEqH @KATUNews pic.twitter.com/a8vw0QXXoY
— Evan Bell (@evanbellKATU) October 28, 2024
Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey told the news outlet “hundreds of ballots were inside at the time,” according to KATU’s paraphrase. Voters can check the status of their ballot and determine if they need a replacement one.
The FBI is currently investigating the attacks in Vancouver and Portland, according to NBC News. The two cities are only a 15-minute drive apart, and law enforcement believes the incidents are related.
Law enforcement announced they had photos of the suspected vehicle and were seeking more information.
“We don’t know the motive behind these acts,” Assistant Chief Amanda McMillan said in a news release.
“We do know acts like this are targeted, and they’re intentional, and we’re concerned about that intentional act trying to impact the election process,” she added. “We’re dedicated to stopping this kind of behavior.”
Nonetheless, suspicions centered around the domestic terrorist group Antifa, which has openly engaged in similar acts of destruction in the past.
⚠️ Ballot Box at 3510 S.E. 164th Ave in Vancouver, Washington, in Clark County set on fire.. Most ballots were destroyed.
Will we see a repeat of ANTIFA disrupting Election Day on the West Coast pic.twitter.com/T60PHejZHZ
— Culture War (@CultureWar2020) October 28, 2024
This is not the only time that ballot boxes have been targeted for vandalism. In 2020, law enforcement charged a man with burning a ballot box in Boston, Mass.
The use of ballot boxes has also come under scrutiny for the possibility of fraud—as even some Democrats have acknowledged problems.
Meanwhile, some Democratic officials have tried to stop election integrity efforts to allow the monitoring of ballot drop boxes.
