Two ballot boxes in Washington and Oregon were burned on Monday, potentially damaging hundreds of mail-in votes ahead of Election Day. Portland Police responded to a fire in the Buckman neighborhood of Portland, where an incendiary device was found, indicating arson. In Vancouver, Washington, police found smoke coming out of a ballot box and a suspicious object next to it. The FBI is actively investigating both incidents.
In Clark County, Washington, hundreds of ballots were destroyed in the Vancouver fire, as the fire suppression system in the ballot box did not work. Meanwhile, Multnomah County, Oregon, reported that only three ballots were destroyed in the Portland fire.
The arson incidents are believed to be connected, as the burned ballot boxes are located about 15 miles apart. This is the second arson attack on a ballot box in Vancouver, as a similar incident occurred on October 8th before the ballots were mailed.
The Vancouver ballot box is in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, where Democratic House Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is seeking re-election against Republican challenger Joe Kent. Both candidates condemned the arsons, with Gluesenkamp Perez emphasizing the importance of voter turnout in the face of such violence.
Authorities are working to determine the extent of the damage to the ballots and ensure that voters are not deterred from participating in the election due to these acts of arson.
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