Ballot boxes were set on fire in Portland, Oregon, and Washington’s neighbor Vancouver, police said, more than a week before Election Day.
Local officials said three ballots were damaged in Portland and potentially “hundreds” were affected in Vancouver.
The Portland Police Bureau said an “incendiary device” was placed inside a sidewalk ballot box in the Center City district. Security personnel in the area extinguished the fire before officers responded to the reports around 3:30 a.m. local time.
“Officers determined that an incendiary device had been placed inside the ballot box and used to ignite the fire,” Portland police said in a statement, adding that the bureau’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit dismantled the mechanism.
Portland police continued to investigate the incident.
The Multnomah County elections office said in a statement that “firefighters inside the ballot box protected virtually all ballots.”
“Voters should be assured that even if their ballots are in an affected box, their votes will be counted,” the statement said.
Around 4 a.m. local time, about half an hour after the fire in Portland, Vancouver police also responded to the fire at the ballot box.
Flames and smoke can be seen coming from the box near the Fisher’s Landing Transit Depot. NBC reported about it News KGW branch in Portland.
Vancouver police said officers arrived to find smoke and flames and found a “suspicious device” near the box. The fire was extinguished, and the device was collected by the Metropolitan Explosive Substances Disposal Department.
Vancouver police said the FBI is investigating and additional details were not immediately available.
Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said potentially “hundreds” of ballots could be damaged. He added that anyone who placed a ballot in the box after 11 a.m. Saturday should contact the office to confirm the status of the ballot.
Shasti Conrad, chairman of the Washington State Democratic Party, said he expects Kimsey and law enforcement to “find and hold those responsible accountable.”
It’s unclear if the incidents in Portland and Vancouver are related, and authorities have not given a cause, but it comes as election officials across the country say they are on high alert. For many settlements Once again, the election case has become a security issuesome by adding law enforcement and even drones and bulletproof vests extremists inspired by conspiracy theories may attempt to disrupt voting or vote counting.
Earlier this month, Vancouver’s bomb squad responded to reports of a “suspicious device” near a downtown ballot box, police said. The device was “safely removed” and the ballot box itself was “not compromised” according to the news release.
Vancouver is home to Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, where Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez faces Republican challenger Joe Kent, who is backed by Donald Trump. highly competitive House race.
Several ballots were also damaged in Phoenix last week A US Postal Service mailbox is on fire. The police arrested the suspect, who admitted to starting the fire, but said the incident was not politically motivated.
Austin Mullen and Eric Mendoza contributed.