Police in two different states are investigating after fires broke out at polling booths with just eight days left until Election Day in what appear to be serious cases of attempted election interference.
In Portland, Oregon, police are investigating after a ballot box in Southeast Portland was set on fire early Monday morning.
Authorities responded to the fire around 3:30 am. When they arrived, the fire had already been put out by security personnel working in the area.
Meanwhile, flames and smoke were seen coming from an urn in Vancouver, Washington, on Monday morning.
Authorities began working to put out a fire at an urn in Vancouver, WA, early Monday morning. It was one of two fires set at two ballot boxes in two different states early Monday morning.
In Portland, police determined that an “incendiary device” was placed inside the ballot boxes, causing the fire, according to local reports.
The local police bomb disposal unit dismantled the device. Authorities have not said how many ballots were affected.
In Vancouver, authorities said someone placed a device outside the polls and started the fire. Members of the policy’s explosive disposal unit were called in to safely remove the device.
An image released by the Portland Police Bureau shows the urn after an “incendiary device” was discovered inside the urn causing a fire.
The FBI is investigating, according to local police.
Clark County’s election auditor told a local station that the last time ballots were collected was around 11 a.m. Saturday. Anyone who leaves a ballot in the ballot box after that could be affected.
Hundreds of ballots were inside the ballot boxes at the time the fire started, and only a few can be saved.
Fire was burning at the polls in Vancouver, WA, early Monday morning. Police say the fire was caused by a device placed outside the ballot box that had hundreds of ballots in it at the time.
Voters who dropped off their ballots and could be affected are encouraged to contact their local election offices.
They may be eligible to fill out a provisional ballot to ensure their vote counts in such situations.
The two separate incidents come as election officials are raising concerns about voting security with just eight days left until Election Day.
More than 43 million people have already voted in person or by mail in the 2024 elections.