Ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington set on fire days before general election

By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com

With the Americans just days away from Election Day on Nov. 5, ballot boxes are under attack in multiple states. Votes in both Vancouver, Wash. and Portland, Ore. went up in flames in the early morning hours of Oct. 28.

Officials within the Portland Police Bureau now believe that the two incidents are related.  

“At approximately 3:30 a.m., Central Precinct officers responded to reports of a fire at a ballot box in the 1000 block of Southeast Morrison Street. By the time officers arrived, the fire had already been extinguished by security personnel who work in the area,” said the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) in a press release on Oct. 28. “The Portland Police Bureau is releasing two photos of the suspect vehicle believed to be involved in the incident at a ballot box in Southeast Portland early Monday morning.” 

“Investigators believe the vehicle is tied to two similar incidents in the Vancouver, Washington area,” said authorities.

PPB said that detectives discovered that the “incendiary device” that ignited the fire at the Portland box was fixed to the side of the ballot box and not placed inside as originally reported.

PPB added that the Explosive Disposal Unit arrived at the scene and cleared the device.

Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott released a statement on the Portland attack, stating that “only three ballots suffered damage, and Elections will contact those three voters, via unique identifiers on their ballot envelopes, so they can receive replacement ballots.”

“Voters should be assured that even if their ballots were in the affected box, their votes will be counted,” he said. 

“We don’t know the motive behind these acts,” said Amanda McMillan, assistant chief of the investigations branch at PPB, in a statement. “We do know acts like this are targeted and their intentional and we’re concerned about that intentional act trying to impact the election process. We’re dedicated to stopping this kind of behavior.”

The scene was more serious in Vancouver, Wash., as stacks of ballots could be visibly seen burning on the ground early Oct. 28. Video released by local ABC affiliate KATU show authorities frantically attempting to put out the blaze– the second set on fire this month. In this Washington attack, local officials suspect hundreds of ballots could have been turned to ash. 

“This morning at about 4:00 a.m., Vancouver Police responded to an arson at a ballot box located at 3510 SE 164th Ave. It was reported that the ballot box was smoking and on fire,” said Vancouver Police Department (VPD) in a media release. “Officers arrived and located a suspicious device next to the box. The ballot box was smoking and was on fire. Members of the Metro Explosive Disposal Unit (MEDU) arrived and safely collected the device, and the fire was extinguished.”

According to VPD, “the FBI is continuing the investigation of this incident.”

Arizona experienced something slightly different on Oct. 24, when a standalone mailbox at a U.S. Postal Office was set on fire. Several ballots were burned according to Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego (D).

“I am closely monitoring the situation and maintaining regular communication with the @AZSecretary, @RecordersOffice, and local and federal law enforcement,” said Gallego via Twitter on Oct. 24.  “There is zero tolerance for criminal activity in our community, and we are working collaboratively with every level of government to bring the perpetrator to justice.”

According to the Phoenix Police Department, police identified Dieter Klofkorn, 35, as a suspect. He was found and arrested for an unrelated warrant. While being interviewed in custody, Klofkorn admitted to setting the mailbox on fire.

“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,” wrote Sgt. Rob Scherer, a public information officer at the Public Affairs Bureau for the Phoenix Police Department, in a media release on Oct. 24. 

Jared DeMarinis, state administrator of elections for the Maryland State Board of Elections (SBE), addressed potential concerns of these attacks spreading to Maryland as we head into Election Day.

“This is always something I’m concerned about. However, we have taken steps to mitigate any potential problem,” said DeMarinis in a statement to the AFRO. “This was a scenario in our tabletop exercises prior to the election. Drop boxes are under 24/7 video surveillance.”

DeMarinis said SBE is working with state and federal law enforcement partners to enhance security measures, but would not go into specifics for safety reasons.

Maryland early voting continues through Oct. 31 and Election Day is Nov. 5.

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