An apparent act of arson has resulted in the destruction of “hundreds” of mail-in ballots just a week before Election Day, raising concerns about whether swing state voters will be identified and given another chance to cast their ballots in time. KATU reported on a smoky scene outside Fisher’s Landing Transit Center in Vancouver, Washington, early Monday morning, where authorities say a vandal set fire to a drop box containing hundreds of ballots.
Footage captured by the ABC affiliate shows heavy smoke billowing from the metal box located near Southeast 162nd Avenue just after 6 a.m. Cameras also documented the disturbing scene as firefighters removed the remnants of the ballots and discarded them on the ground, where they continued to smolder. The race for Congress in Washington’s 3rd district, which includes Clark County, is rated a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report and could be a pivotal seat in determining control of the House.
This is in #WA03. In 2022, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) only beat Joe Kent (R) here by 2,629 votes. The rematch is a Toss Up. https://t.co/zeYNyQbkoi
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) October 28, 2024
The elections auditor for populous Clark County confirmed that the last collection of ballots from the drop box occurred at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, leaving nearly 24 hours for ballots to accumulate before the majority were destroyed. Officials indicated to the outlet that they believe only a few ballots will be salvaged. This incident occurred just hours after police reported a similar act of destruction at a drop box in Portland, Oregon, where investigators suspect an incendiary device was dropped inside, causing an explosion and damaging an unknown number of ballots. Also, a Postal Service drop box near Phoenix was similarly attacked last week.
Both Republicans and Democrats anticipate spending significant sums on post-election legal challenges centered around allegations of voter fraud or ballot tampering. On Sunday, a federal judge rejected Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s attempt to purge nearly 100,000 voters from the state’s database, after he presented evidence suggesting they were minors or illegal immigrants ineligible to vote.
In Arizona, Democrats are racing to address a situation where approximately 100,000 voters received the wrong ballot, which Gov. Katie Hobbs and other party leaders have labeled a “disaster” for the swing state. Stephen Richer, a local election official and Republican, announced in September that he would be suing Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes over the error.
“Later today, my office is suing the Secretary’s office regarding how to handle certain voters who need to provide documented proof of citizenship,” he wrote at the time. “Since 2004, Arizona has been the only state in the country to require that a voter provide documented proof of citizenship in order to vote a full ballot. For all other states, the registrant simply has to attest under penalty of law that he is a United States citizen. Since 1996, Arizona has also required that residents provide proof of citizenship in order to obtain most forms of drivers licenses.”
