In a shocking turn of events, two ballot drop boxes in Washington and Oregon, in the United States, were set on fire in suspected arson instances early Monday morning (local time), and elections officials at one site said they believed hundreds of ballots had been lost. The ballots may have been burned by anti-Israel activists, as the police discovered an “ALL DROP BOXES WILL BURN. FREE GAZA” note implying the involvement of anti-Israel protestors in the incident.
On Monday, fires created by incendiary devices were discovered in ballot boxes in Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. While the majority of the fires were extinguished at the Portland location by a built-in fire suppressor, hundreds of ballots were burned at the drop box at Fisher’s Landing Transit Centre in Vancouver. A similar incident was reported earlier this month in Vancouver and now the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says that the recent ballot-burning incidents may have a link with the arson attack earlier this month.
However, just a few hours after the fires were out, an election official told the NYPost that a letter in a ballot box at the Vancouver Mall Parking lot location was found. The official reportedly stated that a white piece of paper folded in half had been placed in the box. It is unclear whether the statement came from the person involved in the arson fires, but sources indicate that the slogan “Free Gaza” was inscribed on all three incendiary devices.
According to Mike Benner, a spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, investigators believe the two incidents are connected and have identified a “suspect vehicle” from surveillance footage. The Federal Bureau of Investigation stated that it was investigating both incidents “to determine who is responsible.”
Portland election authorities stated that the fire triggered canisters inside the ballot box, which discharged a powdered fire suppressant, preserving nearly all of the ballots. NYT reported. The Multnomah County Elections Division said it would contact each voter affected by the damage to guarantee they received a replacement ballot. In addition, the department asked citizens to call 911 if they saw any unusual activity near a ballot box.
