State and federal authorities are investigating after an intentional arson that destroyed ballots in a drop box in Southwest Washington on Monday morning.
Destroyed ballots were removed from a drop box at Fisher’s Landing Transit Center in Vancouver. Officials say some of them can still be replicated and counted.
“It’s heartbreaking. This is a direct attack on democracy,” said Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey.
Kimsey said hundreds of ballots were destroyed. It was not immediately clear exactly how many ballots were burned or damaged. The FBI is one of the agencies investigating the incident.
At approximately 4 a.m., Vancouver Police received a report of a ballot drop box at 3510 SE 164th Ave. smoking and burning. The police report states that when officers arrived, they found a suspicious device next to the box.
The fire was extinguished and the Metro Explosive Materials Disposal Plant collected the device. Investigators from the city police and fire brigade were called to the scene to investigate the arson case.
After examining the damaged box, Kimsey said it appeared to him that the fire started outside and spread to the inside of the box.
The last time ballots were collected from this ballot box was at 11 a.m. on Saturday. “Anyone who used this drop box after 11 a.m. should receive a new one,” he said.
Voters can go to www.votewa.gov to check if their ballot was received. To obtain a replacement, call Clark County election office at 564-397-2345 or email us at [email protected].
Clark County first installed ballot drop boxes in 2005. There are now 23. The one in Fisher’s Landing will be replaced Monday, Kimsey said.
He added that as a result of this incident, the county will modify its ballot collection schedule to ensure ballots are received each evening.
Earlier this month, before voting began, someone caused minor damage to a drop box in downtown Vancouver. Kimsey said law enforcement is investigating and does not know if it is related to what happened Monday.
Meanwhile, police in Portland, Oregon they are investigating discovery of an incendiary device in the ballot box around 3:30 a.m. Monday. Authorities did not say whether any ballots were damaged.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs on Monday condemned the arson and expressed confidence that every “impacted voter” would receive a replacement ballot in time to be eligible to vote in the Nov. 5 election.
“I strongly condemn any acts of terrorism that seek to disrupt lawful and fair elections in Washington state,” he said. “Despite this incident, I have complete confidence in our county elections official’s ability to ensure a safe and secure election in Washington for all voters.”
The leader of the Washington state Republican Party said the events in Vancouver reinforce Washington’s belief that mail-in voting should be abandoned.
“Washington must return to same-day in-person voting,” party chairman Jim Walsh said in a statement. “Our “100% mail-in voting” experiment is not secure because of the broken chain of custody inherent in mail-in voting. These arson attacks are proof of that.”
Washington State Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad urged voters using the drop box to check the status of their ballots.
“Voting is safe and easy, and Washington state is proud to have one of the most secure election systems in the country,” Conrad said in a statement. “We take every voter’s rights very seriously.”
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