Police are looking for the person who set ballot boxes on fire in Washington and Oregon - Boston News, Weather, Sports

(CNN) — With just days until Election Day, hundreds of ballots were destroyed this week by fires at two polling places in the Pacific Northwest, and investigators are looking for a perpetrator they believe is responsible for both.

Many of the ballots in a mailbox in Portland were left untouched, but hundreds of ballots were destroyed in a second ballot box fire in nearby Vancouver, Washington, election officials said. The incidents are believed to be related to a third incident earlier this month in Vancouver.

On Wednesday, workers will begin searching through the damaged ballots for voter information to contact them about obtaining a new ballot, Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said, according to the Associated Press. Officials believe that even if the workers are damaged, they will be able to extract voter information from the ballots, he told the AP.

The damaged ballots are separate from an unknown number that were destroyed, Kimsey said.

Devices at both locations on Monday and a ballot box earlier this month were marked with the words ‘Free Gaza’ New York Times reported Tuesday, citing two law enforcement officials. The newspaper said investigators are trying to determine whether the suspect is a pro-Palestinian activist or someone trying to sow division.

CNN contacted the Portland Police Bureau, which declined to comment on the reported texts on the devices, but said they had been sent for forensic analysis, where they will be examined for “unique writings and markings.” CNN also contacted Vancouver police, who referred questions to the FBI. The FBI also declined to comment.

The incidents come from a September U.S. Department of Homeland Security bulletin obtained by the watchdog group Property of the people warned: “Some social media users are discussing and encouraging various methods to sabotage ballot boxes and avoid detection, likely increasing the potential for targeting of this election infrastructure during the 2024 election cycle.

“Election infrastructure remains an attractive target for some domestic violent extremists and other threat actors with election-related grievances seeking to disrupt the democratic process and electoral operations,” the bulletin warned.

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

“We take the safety of our election workers seriously and will not tolerate threats or acts of violence intended to undermine the democratic process.” said US Secretary of State Steve Hobbs.

“I strongly condemn all acts of terrorism aimed at disrupting lawful and fair elections in Washington State.”

This is what we know:

How the ballot boxes went up in flames

An “incendiary device” was attached to the side of a ballot box when Portland police responded around 3:30 a.m. Monday and security personnel extinguished the fire, the Portland Police Bureau said. said in a statement.

At a bus station in Vancouver, Washington, just 15 miles away, a second ballot box was set on fire early Monday, according to Vancouver police. Officers discovered a “suspicious device” smoking and on fire next to the box. the police said.

Fire extinguishers have been installed at all polling places in Multnomah County and Clark County, election officials said during a news conference Monday. Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said fire extinguisher in the Portland box protected more than 400 ballots inside, and only three ballots were damaged.

Election officials were still counting all the ballots involved in the Vancouver fire but believe hundreds of ballots were destroyed, the Clark County spokesman said. Kimsey.

Before election officials can contact voters, affected ballots must first dry, according to Kimsey. The ballots got wet when it rained Monday as crews tried to extinguish the fire, he explained. About 500 voters in Clark County have requested replacement ballots, The Oregonian said, citing the auditor’s office.

Voting in Oregon and Washington is done almost entirely by mail or ballot drop-off. According to Scott, less than 1% of people in Multnomah County vote in person. In Clark County, 60% of ballots received come from ballot boxes and 40% are received by mail, Kimsey said.

“Postboxes are a useful and secure way for voters to return their ballot without using the US Postal Service,” said Jay Riestenberg, director of communications for Voting Rights Lab. “They help reduce the number of ballots returned by mail, which can ease pressure on the US Postal Service and local election officials during busy election seasons.”

But according to Voting Rights Lab, mailboxes have come under scrutiny by politicians and election officials 12 states have passed bills banning or restricting drop boxes, with half banning them entirely.

What should I do if my ballot has been affected?

John Burnside and his wife voted Sunday afternoon by dropping off their ballots in a drop box near their home in Vancouver, Washington.

The next day he saw reports that someone had set the box on fire, causing the loss of hundreds of votes.

“When I saw the video of them scraping the ballots out of there. I knew there was little chance of mine working,” Burnside told CNN. “I don’t know if they were able to salvage the ballots from that box.”

They’ve used that mailbox in previous elections, Burnside said, and it was disturbing that someone would destroy it.

“Our world has changed, and things you may have taken for granted in the past have to be reconsidered,” he said.

Burnside said he looked online and saw that their ballots had not been received, so they immediately ordered replacement ballots. This time, he said, they will drive across town to the election office so they can cast their ballots in person.

“It’s probably a 20-minute drive, but at this point it’s definitely worth it,” Burnside said.

Kimsey, the Clark County auditor, said anyone who dropped off a ballot at the damaged Fisher’s Landing Transit Center box between 11 a.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Monday should request a replacement ballot online at StemWA.gov.

In Oregon, election officials said they plan to contact the three affected voters using “unique identifiers on their ballots so they can receive replacement ballots.”

“Voters should be assured that even if their ballots are in the appropriate box, their votes will be counted,” said Scott, director of Multnomah County Elections.

Authorities looking for ‘suspicious vehicle’

Evidence from the incendiary devices found at the polls on Monday shows the fires are linked, as well as to a third incident on Oct. 8, when an incendiary device was placed in another mailbox in Vancouver, said Mike, spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau. Benner.

“We don’t know the motives behind these acts — it sounds like a series of three at this point — but we do know that these types of acts are targeted and intentional,” said Amanda McMillan, deputy chief of the Portland Police Bureau. “We are concerned about this deliberate act that seeks to influence the electoral process.”

Police identified a “suspicious vehicle” that left the scene of the fire in Portland, they said a press release Monday – a black or dark-colored 2001-2004 Volvo S-60.
According to the Oregon Department of Driver and Motor Vehicle Services, 3,828 of these vehicles were registered in the state – 558 of which have valid registration status.

The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington issued a joint statement Tuesday, saying they are “working closely and expeditiously to investigate the two ballot box fires” and will “do everything we can to find those responsible.” can be held fully accountable. .”

Improved ballot box security

As Election Day approaches, state leaders are encouraging citizens to vote despite the incidents and promising increased security around mailboxes.

“There are multiple ways voters can cast their ballots and ensure their voices are heard,” Washington said Governor Jay Inslee said.

The ballot box in Portland has already been replaced, according to Multnomah County Chairwoman Jessica Vega Pederson, and law enforcement in Multnomah County and Vancouver, Washington plan to increase patrols of the area’s ballot boxes.

“Voter intimidation or any criminal act designed to undermine the upcoming election is un-American and will not be tolerated,” Oregon’s governor said. said Tina Kotek on X.

Inslee said a statement on Monday evening “There will be enhanced security around ballot drop-off locations 24 hours a day.” As law enforcement increases drive-by patrols, Kimsey said election staff at all 22 drop box locations are acting as observers to report suspicious activity to 911.

A coalition of elected officials, businesses and community groups in Portland shared an open letter Tuesday calls on residents “to uphold our tradition of respectful citizen participation during this election season.”

“During this election season, let us safeguard and advance our hard-won but still fragile progress, and ensure that our actions strengthen rather than undermine the growth of our community,” the letter said.

Vancouver is located in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, represented by Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, where one of the most competitive house races in the country takes place.

After the ballot box fires, Gluesenkamp Perez requested nightly law enforcement patrols at mailboxes through Election Day.

The Democratic congresswoman told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that she is not angry about the damaged ballots for partisan reasons, but “because I am an American who sees the corrosive and toxic environment that we have seen across the country in a very harmful and harmful way come back.” ugly way.”

Larry Olson, the vice president of Laserfab, a Washington state-based company that makes the ballot boxes used in Oregon’s Multnomah County, said his company works closely with election officials to design the ballot boxes as tamper-resistant as possible. The boxes, which are made of steel and can weigh up to 1,000 pounds, are typically bolted to the ground and some counties have added fire suppression equipment, he said.

“Obviously our boxes are inanimate objects and can easily be repaired or replaced, but the really disheartening thing is that these officers are being attacked,” Olson said.