Hundreds of ballots are destroyed after fires are set in ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington

SEATTLE (AP) — Authorities were investigating Monday aft early greeting fires were group successful ballot driblet boxes successful Portland, Oregon, and successful adjacent Vancouver, Washington, wherever hundreds of ballots were destroyed.

The Portland Police Bureau reported that officers and firefighters responded to a occurrence successful 1 ballot driblet container astatine astir 3:30 a.m. and wished an incendiary instrumentality had been placed inside. Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said a occurrence suppressant wrong nan driblet container protected astir each nan ballots; only 3 were damaged, and his agency planned to interaction those voters to thief them get replacement ballots.

A fewer hours later, crossed nan Columbia River successful Vancouver, tv crews captured footage of fume pouring retired of a ballot container astatine a transit center. Vancouver is nan biggest metropolis successful Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, nan tract of what is expected to beryllium 1 of nan closest U.S. House races successful nan country, betwixt first-term Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican challenger Joe Kent.

Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey successful Vancouver told The Associated Press that nan ballot driblet container astatine nan Fisher’s Landing Transit Center besides had a occurrence suppression strategy inside, but for immoderate logic it wasn’t effective. Responders pulled a burning heap of ballots from wrong nan box, and Kimsey said hundreds were lost.

“Heartbreaking,” Kimsey said. “It’s a nonstop onslaught connected democracy.”

There were surveillance cameras that covered nan driblet container and surrounding area, he said.

The past ballot pickup astatine nan transit halfway driblet container was astatine 11 a.m. Saturday, Kimsey said. Anyone who dropped their ballot location aft that was urged to interaction nan auditor’s agency to get a caller one.

The agency will beryllium expanding really often it collects ballots, Kimsey said, and changing postulation times to nan evening, to support nan ballot boxes from remaining afloat of ballots overnight erstwhile akin crimes are considered much apt to occur.

An incendiary instrumentality was besides recovered connected aliases adjacent a ballot driblet container successful downtown Vancouver early connected Oct. 8. It did not harm nan container aliases destruct immoderate ballots, constabulary said. The FBI and different agencies had been investigating.

Washington and Oregon are some vote-by-mail states. Registered voters person their ballots successful nan message a fewer weeks earlier elections and past return them by message aliases by placing them successful ballot driblet boxes.

In Phoenix past week, officials said astir 5 ballots were destroyed and others damaged erstwhile a occurrence was group successful a driblet container astatine a U.S. Postal Service position there.

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Christina A. Cassidy successful Atlanta contributed.