Police Say Ballot Box Arsons in Oregon and Washington Are Linked

As we enter the final week of one of the deadliest and most violent presidential elections in modern political history, a spate of arson at early voting sites across the Pacific Northwest has local and federal police scrambling to find the culprit. It’s arguably yet another side effect of what election security experts have been calling the “danger zone”—a fancy term that seems shorthand: Americans are losing their damn minds and there’s a good fur out there.

On Monday morning, someone drove up to a ballot box in Portland, Oregon, and stuck a “hot tool” next to it. Then they went by car. Shortly thereafter, at around 3:30 AM, Portland police responded to reports of a fire in the area and found the tow box on fire. Less than an hour later, a similar incident occurred in the nearby city of Vancouver, Washington, where police found another fire box on fire. Again, a “suspicious tool” was found lying on the ground next to it.

The police also suspect that these incidents are related to arson, which happened in Vancouver about three weeks ago on October 8. In that case, the police were also called to put out the fire in the ballot box. A nearby homeless shelter had to be evacuated due to safety concerns.

Local station KGW reports that authorities believe the Vancouver fires destroyed “hundreds” of ballots. The fire in Portland destroyed only three. Local station KGW reports that the FBI is now working with local police to investigate the three incidents.

“We don’t know the motive for these actions,” Portland Police Assistant Chief Amanda McMillan said in a press release. “We know that actions like this are targeted and done deliberately and we are concerned about that deliberate action that is trying to influence the election process. We are dedicated to stopping this type of behavior.”

“We take the safety of our election workers very seriously and will not tolerate threats or acts of violence that seek to undermine the democratic process,” said Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, in another press release. “I strongly condemn any acts of terrorism that aim to disrupt legitimate and fair elections in the state of Washington. Despite this incident, I have full confidence in the great power of state elections to keep Washington’s elections safe and secure for all voters.”

Another interesting thing is that the police seem to have received glimpses of a car that they believe is involved in arson. A still image taken by security of the “suspect vehicle” was released to the public on Monday. The vehicle is described as a “2001-2004 black or tan Volvo S-60.” Police say the vehicle does not appear to have a front license plate, but it does have a rear license plate that authorities cannot identify.

Authorities in Vancouver encouraged anyone who thinks their ballot was damaged in Monday’s fire to contact the city’s elections department (if that’s you, you can call 564-397-2345 or email [email protected]). Those in Portland who are concerned they may have been affected can call 503-988-6826. Even worse, many governments allow voters to see if their vote has been accepted by their home government. In the case of Washington, voters can visit votewa.gov to track their return status. KGW reports: “If the returned ballot is not marked ‘received,’ voters can print a replacement ballot or visit the election office, located at 1408 Franklin Street in downtown Vancouver, to obtain a replacement ballot from the secretary of state’s office.”