Ballot Box Burnings Had ‘Free Gaza’ Message
Three ballot drop boxes have been lit on fire in the Pacific Northwest in the past month. The phrase “Free Gaza” has been marked on the explosive devices used in the burnings, according to two officials. One of the ballot burnings occurred in a district with a tight race between incumbent Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) and Joe Kent (R). Gluesenkamp Perez won by less than 1 percentage point of the vote over Kent in the 2022 election.
The first incident occurred on Oct. 8, when smoke from another incendiary device was seen near a ballot box in Vancouver, Washington. Police reported that the ballots were not compromised in the first incident.
The second incident occurred Monday in Portland, Oregon, where police responded to a report of a burning ballot box at 3:30 a.m. Shortly after, on the same day the Portland ballot box was compromised, another burning ballot box was reported near a bus station in Vancouver, Washington, 15 miles from the ignited Portland box.
According to Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey, 488 damaged ballots were identified from the Vancouver ballot box, and 345 of those voters had requested replacement ballots.
In a press conference on Monday, local and federal law enforcement officials stated that they are working together to investigate the incidents. Early evidence they collected suggested that both instances are linked, they said.
On Wednesday, Portland officials held a press conference to provide additional information about the suspect. Portland agency spokesperson Mike Benner told the press that the suspect is a white male between 30 and 40 years old, with short hair and a thin build, who drove a 2001-2004 Volvo S-60.
Breaking: The @PortlandPolice has released photos of the suspect vehicle believed to have been involved in the arson attack on the ballot box in southeast Portland, Ore. The car is a dark 2001-2004 Volvo S-60. Police further found out that the incendiary device was attached to… pic.twitter.com/RuU0qwIG1D
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) October 28, 2024
“I hope the perpetrator of this reprehensible act is quickly apprehended – and local and federal law enforcement have my full support in working to keep our democratic process safe and secure,” Gluesenkamp Perez said on X. “Our right to vote needs to be protected under all circumstances. We can’t yield to intimidation, and we must continue to stand up against unpatriotic acts such as this one.”
In preparation for this year’s election, federal officials had relayed election integrity and interference concerns to the states. A September intelligence brief by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security informed states about social media posts promoting the destruction of ballot boxes.
“Some social media users are discussing and encouraging various methods of sabotaging ballot drop boxes and avoiding detection, likely heightening the potential for targeting of this election infrastructure through the 2024 election cycle,” the DHS brief stated.
The brief also listed various strategies used by these election violators, which included “masquerading as an ideological opponent and wearing clothes and masks associated with ‘antifa.’”
Last week, a man was charged with setting a postal box on fire that contained 20 ballots in Phoenix, Arizona. The suspect, a 35-year-old male, admitted to starting the fire but told Phoenix police that his actions were unrelated to the election and were not politically motivated.
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