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At least two allegedly secure ballot drop boxes have been set on fire in Oregon and Washington State—destroying an unknown number of ballots contained inside. The most recent incident, in Clark County, Washington, saw a ballot drop box billowing smoke as numerous ballots burned in the early morning hours on Monday.
Concerningly, Clark County sits in the hotly contested 3rd Congressional District, currently held by Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA). However, President Donald J. Trump won the district during the 2020 presidential election. The race is currently a toss-up between Gluesenkamp Perez and her Republican challenger, Joe Kent, a United States Army Special Forces veteran.
“This morning at about 4:00 AM, Vancouver Police responded to an arson at a ballot box located at 3510 SE 164th Ave. It was reported that the ballot box was smoking and on fire,” local police confirmed in a statement. They added: “Officers arrived and located a suspicious device next to the box. The ballot box was smoking and was on fire. Members of the Metro Explosive Disposal Unit (MEDU) arrived and safely collected the device, and the fire was extinguished.”
The Clark County Elections ballot drop box at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center was lit on fire this morning. Clark Co. Auditor Greg Kimsey says hundreds of ballots were inside at the time, the last pickup being 11AM Saturday. Full story here @KATUNews pic.twitter.com/a8vw0QXXoY
— Evan Bell (@evanbellKATU) October 28, 2024
The preliminary report reveals that an incendiary device appears to have set the fire. At the moment, no suspect or motivation for the fire has been identified. According to the Clark County elections auditor, hundreds of ballots were in the drop box at the time of the fire, as the last pickup occurred at 11 AM on Saturday.
With many states expanding their early and mail-in voting timelines, election officials have insisted that ballot drop boxes are safe, secure, and adequately monitored. However, the two fires in Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, undermine this assertion.
In other breaking news: the devices found in the ballot drop boxes in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington were well made using thermite and are made to burn the ballots, not explode. I hope to have additional information to share on this soon.
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) October 28, 2024
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At least two allegedly secure ballot drop boxes have been set on fire in Oregon and Washington State—destroying an unknown number of ballots contained inside. The most recent incident, in Clark County, Washington, saw a ballot drop box billowing smoke as numerous ballots burned in the early morning hours on Monday.
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