A ballot box near Southeast 11th Avenue and Belmont Street was in place and being used on Monday morning, Oct. 28, 2024. Around 3:30 a.m., Portland officers responded to a fire in ballot drop box in the 1000 block of Southeast Morrison Street, outside the Multnomah County Elections Office.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Officials are assuring voters that ballot boxes are safe following arson attacks in Portland and Vancouver on Monday morning.
A fire suppression system inside the ballot box burned in Portland protected all but three ballots, out of hundreds.
“This shows that our systems are safe and secure,” said Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade in a statement.
“Multnomah County is committed to the fundamental protection of our democracy, keeping this election free, fair and safe,” said Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.
The affected Portland voters are being identified using unique details on their envelopes, and they will get replacement ballots.
Carey Kaer with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said additional patrols are being set up to ensure ballot boxes are safe and easy to access.
“We want all the community to know that we want to ensure a safe and secure election, and it’s something that we take very seriously,” said Kaer.
Ballot box patrols will be conducted by officers in uniforms and in plain clothes.
The fire in Vancouver was more problematic. Hundreds of ballots were damaged, even though the box contained a fire suppressant system. Authorities say it didn’t appear to work well.
Clark County officials said they’re modifying their ballot retrieval schedule to prevent the destruction of so many ballots if this happens again.
Another ballot box was targeted in Vancouver on Oct. 8. Law enforcement officials believe all three attacks are likely linked.
Greg Kimsey, the Clark County auditor, said in a press release Monday that the county plans to increase patrols around ballot boxes.
Deputies with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office along with Vancouver police will increase patrols as calls for service allow.
“In addition to an increased law enforcement presence, Clark County Elections Office employees will serve as ballot box observers 24 hours a day, seven days a week at each of the 22 drop boxes throughout the county,” said Kimsey. “Employees will not confront anyone. They are there to observe and report any suspicious activities to the proper authorities.”
Oregon U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden called the attacks unacceptable.
“Law enforcement needs to move quickly and responsibly to prosecute those who have engaged in this,” he said.
The Washington secretary of state is encouraging Vancouver area voters to check the status of their ballots at www.votewa.gov. If it’s not marked as “received,” voters can print a replacement or visit the Clark County elections department.
In Oregon, voters can check the status of their ballots at the secretary of state’s election website.
The FBI is asking anyone with information to go to tips.fbi.gov or to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
The U.S. Postal Service issued a press release saying that 99.89% of ballots mailed from voters to election officials during the last general election were delivered within a week.
A damaged ballot box, on display at a press conference at Multnomah County Elections headquarters in Portland, Oct. 28, 2024. The device use to start the fire in the Portland ballot box was magnetic and was attached to the unit. Two ballot boxes were set on fire in Portland and Vancouver early Monday morning, one of them destroying hundreds of ballots that had been cast over the weekend.
Dirk VanderHart / OPB