Washington — Ballot drop boxes were set on fire in two states, Washington and Oregon, just a week ahead of Election Day , as authorities were already on high alert for the possibility of violent incidents driven by claims of election fraud — including the sabotage of ballot drop boxes.
Two ballot boxes went up in flames early Monday morning in Portland and Vancouver, which is just about 10 miles from Portland, just over the border. While most of the ballots in the Portland box were recovered, hundreds were thought to be lost in the Vancouver incident.
Here’s what we know so far:
How many ballots were damaged?
Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey told CBS News that hundreds of ballots were impacted in the Vancouver incident, but officials don’t expect to know the exact number until the end of the day on Tuesday. After the wet ballots dry out, officials will be better equipped to assess the damage.
In Portland, three ballots out of hundreds were damaged, Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott told reporters, after suppression devices inside the ballot box almost immediately extinguished the flames ignited by an incendiary device. Washington election officials noted that fire suppression devices in the Vancouver box didn’t appear to work as well.