US election: Ballots destroyed in Oregon, Washington

Days before the United States elections, hundreds of ballots have been ruined after two drop boxes were destroyed – one in Oregon and one in Washington State – in incidents that authorities believe are linked.

According to reports, one of the boxes was targeted in Portland, Oregon in the early hours of Monday, and a few hours later, another was targeted in Vancouver, Washington.

Incendiary devices were attached to the outside of the boxes and the FBI has been called to help with the case.

“It’s heartbreaking,” said Greg Kimsey, the elected auditor in Clark County, Washington, which includes Vancouver.

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“It’s a direct attack on democracy,” Kimsey told reporters

Both of the boxes had a fire suppression system. But the one in Vancouver appeared not to have worked properly and was unable to stop hundreds of ballots from being destroyed, according to Kimsey.

Ballot drop boxes have faced increasing criticism from Republicans and have been the focus of baseless conspiracy theories, tied to former President Donald Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was rigged.

The boxes, designed to be tamper free, are often installed outside places such as election offices, libraries and other government buildings, for people to drop off their ballots.

Al Jazeera reported that on Monday, the office of Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said that if a returned ballot was not marked as “received”, voters could print a replacement ballot or visit their local elections department for a replacement.

“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 said.

“Despite this incident, I have complete confidence in our county elections officials’ ability to keep Washington’s elections safe and secure for all voters.”