Ballot boxes in the northwest U.S. were set on fire Monday in linked attacks, according to the FBI.
Authorities are investigating three separate but linked instances of ballot boxes being set on fire in Oregon and Washington, Oregon Live reports. While only three ballots were destroyed in Multnomah County, hundreds were destroyed in a Clark County precinct that hosts a nationally watched congressional race.
The Portland Police Bureau reported that an “incendiary device” was placed inside a sidewalk ballot box in the Central City district. By the time officers arrived, around 3:30 a.m., security personnel in the area had already extinguished the flames.
Auditor Greg Kimsey called the action a “direct attack on American democracy.”
Portland police believe they identified a “suspect vehicle” in the case after security cameras from the Multnomah County Elections Office recorded a Volvo stopping at the drop box shortly before the fire was detected.
“We don’t know the motive behind these acts,” Portland Police Bureau Assistant Chief Amanda McMillan said in the release. “We do know acts like this are targeted and their intentional and we’re concerned about that intentional act trying to impact the election process. We’re dedicated to stopping this kind of behavior.”
Vancouver police arrived to find smoke and flames, along with a “suspicious device” next to the ballot box. The fire was extinguished, and the city’s Metro Explosive Disposal Unit retrieved the device. Kimsey urged anyone who may have dropped off their ballot at the Fisher’s Landing transit center at 164th Avenue in Vancouver after 11 a.m. on Saturday to check the status of their ballot at votewa.gov. They are eligible to receive a replacement ballot.
Meanwhile, ballots in Multnomah County were safe despite the attack. The Multnomah County Elections Division said in a statement that “fire suppressant inside the ballot box protected virtually all the ballots.”
“Voters should be assured that even if their ballots were in the affected box, their votes will be counted,” the statement read.
Authorities have not identified a motive for the incidents, which occur as election officials nationwide report being on high alert. The attacks come one week after several ballots were damaged in Phoenix when a U.S. Postal Service mailbox was set on fire. Police arrested a suspect who admitted to committing arson but claimed the incident was not politically motivated.
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