US Federal Authorities Investigate Fires at Ballot Drop Boxes in Oregon and Washington

US Federal authorities are investigating incidents of fires at two ballot drop boxes in the Portland area of Oregon, as well as a separate fire in the nearby Vancouver area of Washington, according to CNN reports. The Portland Police Bureau indicated that officers responded to a fire at a ballot box around 3:30 a.m. local time on Monday, where an "incendiary device" had been used. Security personnel were able to extinguish the flames quickly.

Steve Bernd, a spokesperson for the FBI's Seattle office, confirmed that federal officials are working in conjunction with state and local law enforcement on these cases. Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott stated that fire suppression systems inside the ballot box protected nearly all of the ballots, although three were damaged. Officials plan to reach out to affected voters using unique identifiers on their ballot envelopes to provide replacement ballots.

Voters who submitted ballots between 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Monday are advised to contact the Multnomah County Elections Division if they have any concerns. Scott reassured voters that their votes would still be counted, even if their ballots were in the affected box. "Voters should be assured that even if their ballots were in the affected box, their votes will be counted," he emphasized.

In Vancouver, another ballot box was set ablaze at a bus station early Monday. The Vancouver Police Department found a "suspicious device" next to the burning box, which affected hundreds of ballots, as reported by the Clark County Elections Office. Laura Shepard, a spokesperson for Vancouver, encouraged anyone who deposited a ballot in that box after 11 a.m. on Saturday to verify the status of their ballot.