Ballot Boxes Burn in Washington and Oregon
On Monday, October 28, ballot boxes in Washington and Oregon were set ablaze in what has been described by Greg Kimsey, a Clark County, Washington official according to PBS News as, “a direct attack on democracy.” Fires were discovered at a ballot drop box in Portland, OR, and another was discovered in Vancouver, WA. ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Lucien Bruggeman, Chris Boccia, and Meredith Deliso reported on October 30 that the devices used said, “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine” on them. ABC News also says that police in Portland reported to have responded to the fires at about 3:30 a.m. pacific time. The ballot boxes had fire suppressant, which prevented many Portland ballots from being destroyed, although three of them were burned.
The ballots in Vancouver, WA, weren’t as lucky however. According to a report by Fox 13 in Seattle, 494 ballots had been reported damaged. Fox 13 also says the suspect is a white male, between ages 30 and 40, is either balding or has short hair, has extensive experience with metalworking, and drove a Volvo S60 which was made within the years 2001 to 2004. Also according to ABC News, those ballot boxes also had fire suppressant, but it clearly did not work as well. Vancouver is notable for being the largest city in Washington’s 3rd Congressional district, which features the close race between Democratic Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and her Republican challenger Joe Kent, a race which, as of the morning of November 9, has not been called by the Associated Press.
As for the markings, ABC News also reports, “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 US.”
Ever since Israel was attacked on October 7, 2023 by Hamas, to which they responded, there have been consistent protests in favor of Palestinians. This is especially among far-left, progressive Democrats, a movement which has been supported by Representatives such as Rashida Tlaib (D-MI 13) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN 05). Beyond that, for years, both sides have questioned the stability of democracy, and these fires don’t seemed to have helped the situation.
