As Election Day nears, ballots have been intentionally set on fire and damaged across three states, with incidents occurring in two ballot drop boxes and a Postal Service mailbox. Federal authorities are warning that several social media users have recently promoted the sabotage of ballot drop boxes.
In the early hours of Monday in Oregon, Portland police responded to a fire believed to have been ignited by an incendiary device in a ballot drop box. According to the Multnomah County Elections Division, three ballots were damaged, although the fire suppression system within the box protected most of the ballots.
Shortly after, another ballot drop box in Vancouver, Washington, was set ablaze, significantly damaging “hundreds” of ballots when its fire suppression system failed to operate effectively. Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey reported that most ballots were destroyed and the remaining ones were severely damaged and soaked. He mentioned plans to increase the frequency of drop box retrievals to prevent ballots from remaining in the boxes for extended periods.
At a press conference, Portland police suggested that the incidents may be linked. Kimsey expressed his dismay, labeling the acts as “a direct attack on democracy.”
Authorities, including the FBI, are currently investigating the incidents in both Washington and Oregon. Election officials are urging voters who used these drop boxes over the weekend to reach out to ensure their votes are counted.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs condemned the actions as “acts of terror” and reminded voters they can verify their ballot status online and can obtain replacement ballots or vote in person if needed.
U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, called for increased law enforcement presence at drop boxes in her district. She narrowly won her 2022 election by fewer than 3,000 votes, and her opponent Joe Kent characterized the fire as “a cowardly act of domestic terrorism.”
In Arizona, a separate incident occurred when 35-year-old Dieter Klofkorn admitted to setting fire to a USPS mailbox on October 24, stating he wanted to be arrested and that his actions were not politically motivated or linked to the election.
While Oregon and Washington rely on mail-in voting and drop box submissions, Arizona predominantly utilizes early voting through similar methods. Ballot drop boxes have been controversial, facing false claims about security since the 2020 election cycle. Max Read, a senior research manager for elections at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, highlighted the widespread misconceptions surrounding ballot security measures.
The Department of Homeland Security has previously identified ballot drop boxes as “soft targets” based on discussions in forums frequented by domestic violent extremists. Similar online rhetoric has been noted during past elections, including a case in 2020 when around 100 ballots were damaged in Los Angeles due to arson.
Read emphasized that ballot drop boxes are frequently monitored by surveillance cameras and equipped with fire safety systems, urging the public not to lose trust in these secure voting methods due to these isolated incidents.
Overall, hundreds of ballots have been impacted by the three incidents, predominantly in Washington. As of Monday afternoon, nearly three million votes have already been cast across Washington, Oregon, and Arizona, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab.