Early voting has already begun this election cycle. That also means efforts to illegally interfere in the election have also started.
And hundreds of ballots were destroyed during the latest election interference scheme.
In a disturbing series of suspected arson attacks, ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington were targeted and set ablaze early Monday morning, raising serious concerns about the integrity and security of local election processes.
Authorities are investigating three similar incidents this month, with officials noting a pattern suggesting “targeted and intentional” actions.
Around 3:30 a.m. on Monday, Portland, Oregon, police responded to reports of an incendiary device igniting near a ballot drop box. By the time first responders arrived, nearby security personnel had already extinguished the flames.
Reflecting on the incident, Tim Scott from Multnomah County Elections shared, “I’ve been with Multnomah County Elections for 16 years… This is the first time any incident has occurred, as far as I’m aware, at the elections building or in any position I’ve ever held.” The damaged drop box has since been replaced.
Just across the Oregon-Washington border in Vancouver, Washington, officials responded to a second blaze around 6:30 a.m. Hundreds of ballots in a drop box at the Park and Ride at Fisher’s Landing Transit Center were severely burned.
Clark County officials confirmed that the last ballot collection at that location had been at 8 a.m. the previous day, leaving hundreds of ballots inside at the time of the fire.
Unfortunately, only a few ballots may be salvageable. Voters who dropped off ballots after 8 a.m. Sunday have been advised to contact the Election Auditor’s Office for assistance in receiving a replacement ballot.
Vancouver police also connected the event to a prior incident in October when a suspicious device was found near another ballot drop box. “We got a call that indicated one of the ballot boxes was smoking,” officials stated, calling Monday’s events “very similar.”
These incidents come during a tight congressional race that’s capturing national attention. Voters in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District are casting ballots in one of the country’s closest House contests, where incumbent Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) is defending her seat against Republican challenger Joe Kent.
The two faced off in 2022, with Gluesenkamp Perez narrowly winning by under 3,000 votes.
In response, Gluesenkamp Perez condemned the attacks, urging voters to resist intimidation. She called for increased security measures, specifically overnight surveillance for ballot drop boxes.
“Southwest Washington cannot risk a single vote being lost to arson and political violence,” Gluesenkamp Perez said.
Vancouver and Portland are neighboring cities on opposite sides of the Columbia River. The Federal Bureau of Investigations is investigating all three incidents as arson attacks.
The FBI is now involved in investigating all three incidents, reinforcing the seriousness with which authorities view these apparent acts of voter suppression.
America Needs Better Election Security
It’s not unreasonable at all to suggest that the United States of America should have better systems in place to make sure that our elections are secure.
Placing ballot drop boxes on the side of the road where people can destroy them is not a way to secure the votes of those who used those drop boxes.
As we just saw in the Pacific northwest, it’s not difficult for people to attack these ballot drop boxes by setting them on fire.
America is not a third-world country. Ballots should be able to be cast with ease and also counted the day of the election. This is commonsense that both Republicans and Democrats should agree with.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
