Ballot drop box fires under investigation in Oregon, Washington
Authorities are investigating fires in ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington.
By Nicole Chavez, CNN
(CNN) — Authorities are investigating after at least two ballot boxes were set on fire Monday morning in the Portland, Oregon, area.
Police responded to a call about a fire in Portland about 3:30 a.m. Monday, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement. An “incendiary device” was placed inside the box and security personnel extinguished the fire, officials said.
CNN has reached out to the Multnomah County Elections Division for comment.
A second ballot box was set on fire early Monday morning at a bus station in nearby Vancouver, Washington, according to the Vancouver Police Department. When officers arrived, they found a “suspicious device” next to the box, which was smoking and on fire, police said.
The Clark County Elections Office said hundreds of ballots were damaged at the box in the C-TRAN Park and Ride at Fisher’s Landing Transit Center, CNN affiliate KPTV reported.
Laura Shepard, a spokeswoman for the city of Vancouver, said elections officials are asking anyone who may have placed a ballot in the box after 11 a.m. on Saturday to contact them to check on the status of their ballot.
The boxes are located about 15 miles apart. The one in Vancouver is in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, where one of the most competitive races in the country is taking place.
The district is represented by Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, one of five seats held by Democrats in a district former President Donald Trump won in 2020. She is facing a rematch against Republican Joe Kent, a retired Green Beret who had Trump’s endorsement.
Other fires affecting ballots have been recently reported across the country. Last week, a mailbox outside a Phoenix post office was set on fire, damaging an unknown number of ballots. A 35-year-old man was charged with arson in connection with the incident. The Phoenix Police Department said he told them it was not politically motivated.
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