Devices used in ballot box arsons had 'Free Gaza' markings, sources say
Ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington were set on fire with incendiary devices early Monday in what authorities believe are connected incidents, police said.
The devices used in the arson incidents carried markings with the expression "Free Gaza," two sources familiar with the ongoing investigation told ABC News.
The ballot box fires, which occurred near the Oregon-Washington border, are also believed to be connected to a third ballot box incident that occurred earlier this month in Vancouver, Washington, police said.
The sources said the incendiary device used in the first arson, back on Oct. 8, had "Free Gaza" and "Free Palestine" on it. The two subsequent devices, set off in the early hours of Monday morning in Vancouver, Washington and nearby Portland, Oregon, carried the slogan "Free Gaza."
One of the sources told ABC News it was unclear whether these markings reflect the views of a pro-Palestine activist -- or if it was an individual trying to manipulate existing divisions in the U.S.
In the first reported incident on Monday, Portland police responded to a fire at a ballot box around 3:30 a.m. local time, police said. Security at the Multnomah County Elections Division responded and extinguished the fire, officials said.
"Our officers quickly determined that there was an incendiary device that had been attached to the ballot box, and that is what ignited this fire," Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Mike Benner said at a press briefing on Monday.
The bureau's explosive disposal unit cleared the device, police said.
Fire suppressant prevented further damage and protected "virtually all the ballots," though three were damaged, the Multnomah County Elections Division said in a press release.
Elections officials said they are contacting the three impacted voters so they can receive replacement ballots.
Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott told ABC News that 409 ballots inside the ballot box "were undamaged" and preserved thanks to the fire suppressant.
Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said the limited impact to ballots "shows that our systems are safe and secure."
"Make no mistake, an attack on a ballot box is an attack on our democracy and completely unacceptable," Griffin-Valade said in a statement. "Whatever the motivation behind this incident, there is no justification for any attempt to disenfranchise voters."
No other ballot boxes or official drop sites in Multnomah County were affected, the division said.
The Portland Fire Investigations Unit is investigating.
About a half hour later, around 4 a.m. local time, officers in Vancouver, Washington, responded to a report of a ballot box that was smoking and on fire, police said.
"Officers arrived and located a suspicious device next to the box," which was on fire, the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement.
The fire was extinguished, and members of the Metro Explosive Disposal Unit safely collected the device, police said.
"Hundreds" of ballots are believed to have been damaged on Monday, though an official number has not yet been determined, Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said at the press briefing.
Fire suppression devices are also installed in ballot drop boxes in the county, though they do not appear to have worked well, said Kimsey, who added that they're going to try to obtain better fire suppression devices.
The Clark County Auditor's Office will be working to ensure impacted voters have replacement ballots in time, officials said.
"We take the safety of our election workers seriously and will not tolerate threats or acts of violence that seek to undermine the democratic process," Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said in a statement. "I strongly denounce any acts of terror that aim to disrupt lawful and fair elections in Washington state. Despite this incident, I have complete confidence in our county elections official's ability to keep Washington's elections safe and secure for all voters."
Monday's incident is similar to an incident that occurred on Oct. 8 in Vancouver, in which a ballot box was smoking and on fire with a "device" next to it, Vancouver interim Police Chief Troy Price said during the press briefing.
"We do believe the incident here [in Portland] is connected to the two incidents in Vancouver," Benner said.
Police have identified a suspect vehicle, a possible Volvo that was captured on surveillance footage near the ballot box in Portland, Benner said.
"We do know that acts like this are targeted and they're intentional, and we're concerned about that intentional act trying to affect the election process," she said at the press briefing on Monday. "We're dedicated to stopping that kind of behavior, and we're working toward that today."
The FBI is also investigating the incidents "to determine who is responsible," an agency spokesperson said.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek commended the "rapid response" from law enforcement and election officials.
"Voter intimidation or any criminal act to undermine the upcoming election is un-American & will not be tolerated," she said in a statement on X.
Both Oregon and Washington are one of several vote-by-mail states, with ballots returned by mail or at an official drop box. Washington also has voting centers open to accept ballots.
