Ballot drop boxes in Vancouver and Portland targeted by arson this morning, hundreds of ballots damagedFreeUpdated 10 mins ago

Ballot drop boxes in Vancouver and Portland were targeted by arson this morning.

First responders pulled hundreds of actively smoldering ballots from the Fisher’s Landing ballot drop box about 6:30 a.m. this morning, according to KATU.

By the time the sun rose, the fire was out and a huge scorch mark and a hole graced the front of the ballot drop box at 3510 S.E. 164th Ave. at the transit center in east Vancouver. The sidewalk below was streaked with ash left over from burning ballots.

The Clark County Auditor’s Office said hundreds of ballots were in the drop box, which had last been emptied by elections workers 11 a.m. Saturday.

“We’re going to change our ballot retrieval process, so that ballots are retrieved in the evening so there are few ballots left in the drop boxes overnight,” Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said this morning in response to the arson. He said no other security measures are planned at this point.

Anyone who dropped a ballot in that drop box Sunday can contact the Clark County Elections Office to request a replacement at clark.wa.gov/elections.need-replacement-ballot. Voters can also call or email the elections office.

Ballots can be dropped in designated boxes across the county, at the Clark County Election Office, 1408 Franklin St., in downtown Vancouver, or mailed. No postage is necessary but they must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 5.

You can check the status of your ballot at voter.votewa.gov.

Earlier incident in Vancouver

Earlier this month, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to downtown Vancouver after a suspicious device was found near the ballot drop box on Esther Street, according to Vancouver police.

No one was injured, and the ballot drop box was not damaged in the Oct. 8 incident. Because of the device’s proximity to several federal buildings, ATF also responded. The Vancouver drop box is also just blocks from the Clark County Courthouse and elections office, among other local government buildings.

Portland ballots

An incendiary device was used to start a fire in a ballot drop box early this morning in Portland, according to the Portland Police Bureau.

Officers were called about 3:30 a.m. to the 1000 Block of Southeast

Morrison Street for reports of a fire in a ballot box, according to a statement. The ballot box is in the same block as the Multnomah County Elections Division building.

Security in the area put out the fire before police arrived.

The device was put in the ballot box and used to start the fire, according to Portland Police The bomb squad responded and cleared the device.

The Portland Fire Investigations Unit is investigating.

If anyone has information about the Portland arson, contact Portland Police Detective Meredith Hopper at Meredith.Hopper@police.portlandoregon.gov or call the PF&R Fire Investigation Unit’s tip line at 503-823-3473 and reference case number 24-276181.

If you are concerned your ballot could have been damaged in the Portland ballot box, contact the Multnomah County Elections Division at www.multco.us/elections.

This story will be updated.