Ballot box fires in US raise alarm: “Domestic terrorism”

Elected officials and commentators are calling Monday's ballot box arsons in Washington and Oregon an act of “domestic terrorism.”

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs condemned the attacks as “acts of terrorism” aimed at destabilizing the democratic process.

The fires broke out early Monday morning, one at a ballot box in Portland, Oregon, where a fire suppression system protected most ballots, and another in Vancouver, Washington, where hundreds of ballots were destroyed after a similar device was used but the suppression system failed.

“We take the security of our election workers seriously and will not tolerate threats or acts of violence intended to undermine the democratic process,” Hobbs said in an official statement, assuring the public of his “complete confidence” in election security.

Hobbs posted later

On her blog Civil discourse Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance called the attacks “domestic terrorism” and wrote: “It is important for us to call this what it is: an attack on democracy.” She argued that such incidents were aimed at to discourage voting and raise doubts about the integrity of the election.

“Only cowards attack elections,” Vance wrote. “Real public servants, leaders, run based on their ideas, their policies and their personal appeal. “Hoodlums are resorting to attacks against mail-in and drop-off voting, two proven applications that make it easier for more eligible voters to participate in elections.”

She said “immediate arrest and prosecution” was necessary to avert further threats.

Vancouver authorities have identified a black 2001-2004 Volvo S-60 that is believed to be linked to both incidents and an earlier failed attempt.

Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are conducting parallel investigations, with increased security at mailboxes and increased patrols leading up to Election Day.

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who represents Washington's 3rd District, which includes the Vancouver, Washington, region, urged voters affected by the arson to request replacement ballots and expressed confidence that those responsible will be quickly brought to justice .

Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat running for re-election in a district she won by fewer than 3,000 votes in 2022, wrote on Vote.”

Threats to election security are not limited to the Pacific Northwest. Last week in Phoenix, Arizona, several ballots were damaged in a similar arson attack on a mailbox.