Ballot drop boxes in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, were set on fire.
Portland police discovered a device that was placed inside the ballot box and used to ignite the fire.
“On Monday, October 28, 2024, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Central Precinct officers responded to reports of a fire at a ballot box in the 1000 block of Southeast Morrison Street. By the time officers arrived, the fire had already been extinguished by security personnel who work in the area,” the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement. “Officers determined an incendiary device was placed inside the ballot box and used to ignite the fire. PPB’s Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU) responded to the scene and cleared the device.”
According to KATU, a ballot box fire in Clark County, Washington, may have damaged hundreds of ballots.
The Vancouver Police said on Monday morning, “This morning at about 4:00 a.m., Vancouver Police responded to an arson at a ballot box located at 3510 SE 164th Ave. It was reported that the ballot box was smoking and on fire. Officers arrived and located a suspicious device next to the box. The ballot box was smoking and was on fire. Members of the Metro Explosive Disposal Unit (MEDU) arrived and safely collected the device, and the fire was extinguished. Detectives from the Vancouver Police Arson team and the Vancouver Fire Marshals also responded.”
The investigation was handed over to the FBI, the statement added.
Clark County residents are being urged to check the status of their ballot and to request a replacement if necessary.
Last week, a USPS mailbox was set on fire, damaging twenty ballots.
Fox 10 Phoenix said the fire occurred before 1:30 a.m. on October 24, prompting fire crews to respond to the scene and eliminate the flames. The suspect involved in the matter was arrested.
Ballot issues were also discovered in California and Colorado. In California, a man found mail-in ballots in a storm drain. In Colorado, ballots were stolen and fraudulently cast, prompting an investigation.
A Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee staffer was also fired in Montana after he was seen allegedly tampering with a ballot box.
