The suspected arson attack that torched hundreds of ballots in Vancouver, Washington, is now being probed by the authorities. Early yesterday morning, a ballot drop box located at Fisher’s Landing Transit Center was set ablaze, badly burning most of the ballots contained in the box. The arson incident came hours after another ballot box was also subjected to an attempted arson in Portland, Oregon.
Local police and the FBI arrived on the scene in Vancouver around 4:00 a.m. There, they found gray smoke billowing from the ballot box. First responders had removed burning ballots by 6:00 a.m., but hundreds were already severely damaged. The Clark County elections office confirmed the last collection at the location occurred Saturday morning, and that likely most of the contents had already been destroyed.
The voters of Washington who deposited their ballots in the Fisher’s Landing drop box after Saturday morning are instructed to contact the county election office for a new ballot. In the meantime, the frequency of collecting ballots increases, and security around the local drop boxes is heightened.
The Vancouver case has been labeled arson by the authorities who treated it as a serious attempt to disrupt democratic processes. Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey expressed dismay saying that such events are “a direct attack on democracy.” It is the second attempted arson in early October when an incendiary device was used in Vancouver but did not destroy the ballots.
The FBI and local officials are coordinating in the process of carrying out investigations into who was behind it. In the meantime, information can be passed through to the FBI using the officially set up tip lines. In the meantime, even before Election Day, they are trying to reassure themselves and others that ballot security will be observed as well as the overall integrity of the electoral process.
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