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Ballot drop box fires under investigation in Oregon, Washington [1]

['Nicole Chavez']

Date: 2024-10-28

CNN —

Federal authorities are investigating fires at two ballot boxes reported Monday morning in the Portland, Oregon, area, as well as another fire reported earlier this month.

Evidence Material from the incendiary devices found at the ballot boxes Monday show the fires are connected, as well as a third incident reported in Vancouver on October 8, and authorities have identified a “suspect vehicle” that was seen leaving the scene of the first fire, said Mike Benner, a spokesperson for Portland Police Bureau.

Authorities in Portland said they have Portland Police also identified a “suspect vehicle” seen leaving the scene of the fire in Portland, which is believed to be tied to the two indicents in Vancouver as well, they said in a news release Monday. The car appears to be “a black or dark-colored 2001-2004 Volvo S-60” that’s missing a front plate and has an unknown rear plate, they said. tied to a pair of fires in ballot drop boxes in the area and believe the two incidents are connected, he said.

Portland police released photos of the suspected vehicle connected to the ballot box fire in Southeast Portland early Monday morning. Portland Police Bureau

Police have tied the fires in Portland and Vancouver, Washington, to a similar incident last month, Benner added. “We don’t know the motives behind these acts, sounds like a series of three at this point, but we do know that acts like this are targeted and intentional,” Portland Police Assistant Chief Amanda McMillan said during a news conference Monday. “We are concerned about that intentional act trying to affect the election process. We’re dedicated to stopping that kind of behavior and we are working toward that today.”

Meanwhile, the FBI is running a “seperate but parrallel investigation” into the matter, Benner said. The agency’s Seattle office confirmed to CNN they are working on the investigation. Meanwhile, federal officials have joined the investigation with the help of state and local law enforcement agencies, said Steve Bernd, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Seattle office.

Early morning calls on ballot boxes

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

Nearly all the While three ballots were damaged, 409 ballots were protected by fire suppressant inside the box in the Portland, but three were damaged , Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said in a statement . [[Natasha got updated info from him]]

The second ballot box was set on fire early Monday morning at a bus station in Vancouver, Washington, according to the Vancouver Police Department. When officers arrived, they found a “suspicious device” next to the box, which was smoking and on fire, police said.

An incendiary device was also found at a ballot box in Vancouver , on October 8 after someone called to report that the ballot box was smokey, Benner said.

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

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

“We take the safety of our election workers seriously and will not tolerate threats or acts of violence that seek to undermine the democratic process,” Hobbs said, adding he has “complete confidence in our county elections officials’ ability to keep Washington’s elections safe and secure for all voters.”

“I strongly denounce any acts of terror that aim to disrupt lawful and fair elections in Washington state,” Hobbs added. “Despite this incident, I have complete confidence in our county elections officials’ ability to keep Washington’s elections safe and secure for all voters.”

THREE GRAFS BELOW MOVED UP Officials in Portland plan to contact the three affected voters “via unique identifiers on their ballot envelopes, so they can receive replacement ballots.” Voters who dropped their ballots at the box between 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Monday should reach out to the Multnomah County Elections Division if they have concerns, Scott said.

“Voters should be assured that even if their ballots were in the affected box, their votes will be counted,” Scott said.

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

Next steps as Election day nears

The ballot box in Portland has already been replaced, said Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, and law enforcement in Multnomah County and Vancouver, WA, plan to increase patrols of ballot boxes in the area.

The boxes are about 15 miles apart. The one in Vancouver is in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, where one of the most competitive House races in the country is taking place.

The district is represented by Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, one of five seats held by Democrats in a district former President Donald Trump won in 2020. She is facing a rematch against Republican Joe Kent, a retired Green Beret who had Trump’s endorsement.

Gluesenkamp Perez said in a statement Monday she is requesting an overnight law enforcement presence at ballot boxes in Clark County through Election Day, saying, “Southwest Washington cannot risk a single vote being lost to arson and political violence.”

Election officials are still counting all the ballots involved in the Vancouver fire, but they believe hundreds of ballots were affected, said Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey. MOVED UP

THREE GRAFS BELOW MOVED UP Officials plan to contact the three affected Portland voters “via unique identifiers on their ballot envelopes, so they can receive replacement ballots.” Voters who dropped their ballots at the box between 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Monday should reach out to the Multnomah County Elections Division if they have concerns, Scott said.

“Voters should be assured that even if their ballots were in the affected box, their votes will be counted,” Scott said.

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

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

The fires come after the FBI and Department of Homeland Security recently issued a bulletin raising concerns “election-related grievances,” such as a belief in voter fraud, could motivate domestic extremists to engage in 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 see publicly accessible locations, including ballot drop boxes, as “attractive targets.”

Benner said he doesn’t have any information on if these incidents are related to the bulletin, but noted that Portland Police’s criminal intelligence unit “is monitoring anything and everything” related to planned attacks on ballot boxes or civil unrest.

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

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[1] Url: https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/28/us/ballot-box-fires-oregon-washington?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_google

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