Authorities in Portland, Oregon are investigating after a suspected incendiary device set fire to a ballot drop box on Monday morning. The incident, which may have damaged an unknown number of mail-in ballots, followed shortly after similar acts of arson in Washington and Arizona.
On Monday morning, Portland police responded to a fire on Southeast Morrison Street at around 3:30 a.m., which security personnel had already extinguished before officers’ arrival. An explosive device was found and removed by the Portland Police Bureau’s Explosive Disposal Unit, and no injuries were reported.
“Officers determined an incendiary device was placed inside the ballot box and used to ignite the fire,” police said in a statement. “PPB’s Explosive Disposal Unit responded to the scene and cleared the device.”
Investigators did not reveal whether any ballots had been damaged or destroyed in the fire.
Learn more about the all-new VT News and subscribe today!
Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Washington, a fire at a ballot box was reported at Fisher’s Landing Transit Center, where hundreds of ballots were likely destroyed. Anyone who placed a ballot in that box after 11 a.m. on Saturday is advised to contact local election officials.
These incidents raise concerns as they occur close to the upcoming elections, and investigations into any possible connections between these acts of arson are ongoing.
In a related incident last week, about 20 ballots were damaged in Phoenix, Arizona, when a US Postal Service mailbox was set on fire. 35-year-old Dieter Klofkorn was arrested for felony arson, but the Phoenix Police clarified that “Klofkorn stated that he committed the arson because he wanted to be arrested and that his actions were not politically motivated and not related to anything involving the upcoming election.”
Connor Walcott is the lead writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
Got a hot scoop or an idea for a story? Connect with the VT writers on Minnect!
Add comment