### Federal Authorities Investigate Ballot Box Fires in Portland and Vancouver

Federal authorities are investigating two fires that broke out in ballot boxes in the early hours of Monday morning in the Portland, Oregon area. According to the Portland Police Bureau, officers responded to a call about a fire in Portland around 3:30 a.m. An incendiary device had been placed inside the ballot box, but security personnel managed to extinguish the fire.

Steve Bernd, a spokesperson for the FBI's Seattle office, confirmed that federal officials, along with state and local law enforcement agencies, are investigating the incident in Portland and another similar fire in nearby Vancouver, Washington. Tim Scott, the Multnomah County Elections Director, stated that nearly all the ballots were protected by fire suppressant inside the box, though three ballots were damaged. The affected voters will be contacted to receive replacement ballots through unique identifiers on their envelope.

Concerns are being addressed for voters who used the Portland ballot drop between 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Monday. These individuals are advised to reach out to the Multnomah County Elections Division. “Voters should be assured that even if their ballots were in the affected box, their votes will be counted,” reassured Scott.

In Vancouver, the fire damaged hundreds of ballots at the C-TRAN Park and Ride at Fisher’s Landing Transit Center. The Vancouver Police Department reported that officers arrived to find a "suspicious device" next to the smoking and burning ballot box. Laura Shepard, spokeswoman for Vancouver, advised that election officials are asking anyone who placed their ballot in the box after 11 a.m. on Saturday to contact them to verify the status of their ballot.

Steve Hobbs, Washington Secretary of State, condemned the fires and confirmed ballot damage. “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,” Hobbs declared. He further expressed confidence in the ability of county election officials to secure the elections.

The events in Portland and Vancouver are part of a larger series of attacks on ballot boxes across the country. Recently, a ballot box outside a Phoenix post office was set aflame, and a 35-year-old man has been charged with arson in that incident. The Phoenix Police Department noted the act was not politically motivated.

These incidents follow recent warnings from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. An intelligence bulletin indicated concerns that grievances related to elections, like beliefs in voter fraud, could provoke domestic extremists to target publicly accessible locations, including ballot drop boxes.