By admin 
(CNN) – Federal authorities are investigating fires at two ballot drop boxes reported Monday morning in Portland, Oregon, an area that destroyed hundreds of ballots in one location, as well as another fire reported earlier this month.
Evidence from the firebombs found in ballot boxes on Monday shows the fires are related, as is a third incident reported on Oct. 8 in Vancouver, Washington, said Mike Benner, a spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau. While many of the ballots in Portland were left untouched, hundreds of ballots were destroyed at a ballot box in Vancouver, election officials said.
Portland police also identified a “suspicious vehicle” that left the scene of the Portland fire, which is also believed to be linked to the two incidents in Vancouver, they said in a news release Monday. The car appears to be “a black or dark-colored 2001-2004 Volvo S-60,” missing a front fascia and an unknown rear fascia, they said.
“We do not know the motives behind these acts, it appears to be a series of three at this point, but we do know that these types of acts are targeted and intentional,” Amanda McMillan, assistant chief of the Portland Police Bureau, said at a news conference Monday. “We are concerned about this deliberate act that seeks to influence the electoral process. We are committed to stopping that type of behavior and that is what we are working on today.”
Meanwhile, the FBI is conducting a “separate but parallel investigation” into the matter, Benner said. The agency’s Seattle office confirmed to CNN that they are working on the investigation.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee said in a statement Monday evening: “There will be enhanced security around the polling locations 24 hours a day.”
“While law enforcement investigates this incident, we urge concerned voters in the Vancouver area to contact the Clark County Auditor’s office or VoteWA.gov for accurate information on how to obtain a replacement ballot or return their ballot can track once it has been returned. There are multiple ways voters can cast their ballots and ensure their voices are heard,” he said.
Early in the morning you call the polls
Police responded to a call about a fire in Portland around 3:30 a.m. Monday, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement. An “incendiary device” was attached to the side of the coffin and security personnel extinguished the fire, officials said. Police previously said the device was placed in the box.
While three ballots were damaged, 409 ballots were protected by fire extinguishers in the box, said Tim Scott, Multnomah County elections director.
The second ballot box was set on fire at a bus station in Vancouver, Washington, early Monday morning, according to Vancouver police. When officers arrived, they found a “suspicious device” next to the box, which was smoking and on fire, police said.
Laura Shepard, a spokesperson for the City of Vancouver, said election officials are asking anyone who mailed in a ballot after 11 a.m. 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 have been destroyed, according to Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey.
“Some were damaged and could potentially be duplicated and then processed, some were severely damaged, some were completely destroyed,” he told CNN.
An incendiary device was also found in a Vancouver ballot box on Oct. 8 after someone called to report smoke in the ballot box, Benner said.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs condemned the fire and confirmed that some ballots were damaged.
“We take the safety of our election workers seriously and will not tolerate threats or acts of violence intended to undermine the democratic process,” Hobbs said, adding that he has “full confidence in the ability of our county election officials to administer elections in Washington.” safe and secure.” safe for all voters.”
Officials in Portland plan to contact the three affected voters “via unique identifiers on their ballots so they can receive replacement ballots.” Voters who dropped their ballots in the mail between 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Monday should contact the Multnomah County Elections Department if they have any concerns, Scott said.
“Voters should be assured that even if their ballots are in the appropriate 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.”
Fire extinguishers have been installed at all polling places in Multnomah County and Clark County, election officials said during a news conference Monday. In Multnomah County, voting by mail is the most popular method, as less than 1% of people vote in person, Scott told CNN; in Clark County, 60% of ballots received come from ballot drop boxes, Kimsey said.
Next steps as Election Day approaches
The ballot box in Portland has already been replaced, said 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.
The boxes are about 15 miles apart. The one in Vancouver is in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, which is home to one of the most competitive House races in the country.
The district is represented by Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, one of five Democratic seats in a district that former President Donald Trump won in 2020. She faces a rematch against Republican Joe Kent, a retired Green Beret who had Trump’s support.
Gluesenkamp Perez requested an overnight law enforcement presence at polls in Clark County through Election Day following the damage. Speaking to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Monday, she said she is not angry about the damaged ballots for partisan reasons, but “because I am an American who has taken the corrosive and toxic environment that we have seen across the country in a very, very harsh way.” way to get home.” harmful and ugly way.”
Other fires affecting ballots have recently been reported across the country. Last week, a mailbox outside a post office in Phoenix was set on fire, damaging an unknown number of ballots. A 35-year-old man was charged with arson in connection with the incident. Phoenix police said he told them it was not politically motivated.
The fires come after the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security recently issued a bulletin raising concerns that “election-related grievances,” such as beliefs in voter fraud, could motivate domestic extremists to commit violence in the weeks before and after the election in November.
In the intelligence bulletin obtained by CNN, the agencies said some domestic violent extremists likely view publicly accessible locations, including ballot boxes, as “attractive targets.”
Benner said he does not have any information on whether these incidents are related to the bulletin, but noted that the Portland Police Bureau’s criminal intelligence unit is “monitoring anything and everything” related to planned attacks on ballot boxes or civil unrest.
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