Suspected arson fires torch perhaps hundreds of ballots in drop boxes in Pacific Northwest

Hundreds of ballots likely went up in flames after an explosive device apparently went off in a ballot drop box in Washington state, one of two such explosions that occurred early Monday morning.

Around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, police began working tirelessly to put out a fire in a ballot box near a bus station in Vancouver, Washington. Video of their efforts shows crews toiling in the pouring rain as the contents of the ballot box were reduced to ashes.

"It appears that a device was attached to the outside of the ballot drop box that resulted in the ballots being ignited," Clark County auditor Greg Kimsey said, according to Oregon Live.

The ballot box was outfitted with a fire suppressant, Kimsey noted. Unfortunately, it did not work effectively.

When asked how many ballots were affected, Kimsey declined to give an exact number but claimed it was in the "hundreds."

Kimsey described the incident as "heartbreaking." "It’s a direct attack on democracy," he added.

Police likewise described the device as "suspicious."

'Southwest Washington cannot risk a single vote being lost to arson and political violence.'

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D) suggested the incident may have even been an act of "terror."

"I strongly denounce any acts of terror that aim to disrupt lawful and fair elections in Washington state," he said in a statement, according to ABC News.

The drop box is located in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, where Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) and Republican Joe Kent are in a tight rematch. In 2022, Perez beat Kent by fewer than 3,000 votes.

"Southwest Washington cannot risk a single vote being lost to arson and political violence," Perez said in a statement, according to ABC News.

Kent's team did not respond to a request for comment, the outlet claimed.

Ballots at the drop box were last collected around 11 a.m. on Saturday, so anyone who deposited a ballot after that time is encouraged to check the status of their ballot online. They may also contact the county elections office to receive a replacement ballot by calling (564) 397-2345 or emailing elections@clark.wa.gov.

Sadly, the drop box in Vancouver was not the only one in the area to be hit. About two hours before the incident in Vancouver, an "incendiary device" exploded in a drop box in Portland, a press release from the Portland Police Bureau indicated. Portland, Oregon, is located about 10 miles south of Vancouver, Washington.

Fortunately, a fire suppressant installed in the Portland ballot box activated, preventing a significant fire. Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott claimed that only three ballots had been damaged and that elections workers had already made plans to contact the affected voters.

"By the time officers arrived, the fire had already been extinguished by security personnel who work in the area," the PPB press release said. "Officers determined an incendiary device was placed inside the ballot box and used to ignite the fire. PPB’s Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU) responded to the scene and cleared the device."

It is unclear whether the two incidents are linked.

Cleta Mitchell, an election integrity advocate and senior legal fellow at the Conservative Partnership Institute, described these incidents in the Pacific Northwest as both "tragic" and "preventable."

"This is the perfect example for WHY these insecure, unguarded, vulnerable voting procedures have got to go," Mitchell said in a statement to Blaze News. "There is no way to know whose ballots were burned because, of course, the left doesn’t want drop boxes under videotape surveillance. They don’t want to protect voters’ rights; they prefer these chaotic, insecure systems. That’s because it keeps them in power. We must restore the sanctity of the ballot, and the only way to do that is to get rid of these massive vote-by-mail and drop-off-the-ballot systems."

Yet another incendiary device was discovered at a drop box in Vancouver on October 8. Luckily, it did not cause any damage.

A man also allegedly admitted to lighting a fire in a ballot box in Phoenix last week, destroying perhaps 20 ballots, as Blaze News previously reported. The suspect denied having any political motivation, claiming instead that he "wanted to be arrested."

Editor's note: The article has been updated to include a statement from Cleta Mitchell of the Conservative Partnership Institute.

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