Ballot dropbox fires in Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash., appear to have been set by the same person or group, according to authorities quoted in the New York Times.
“There was enough evidence collected at all three scenes that lead us to believe that all three incidents are connected, and we cannot get into more detail,” Mike Benner, a spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, said on Monday.
In addition to the two ballot box fires, a "Free Palestine" message appeared on another Vancouver ballot box. That box was not vandalized and was discovered earlier this month.
The device found attached to the third ballot box was sent to the terrorist crime lab in Huntsville, Ala., for analysis. Police also released surveillance images of a suspect vehicle, asking for the public's help in identifying the person driving a dark Volvo from the early 2000s.
As Victoria Taft pointed out yesterday, the list of suspects is long. The reference to Gaza and Palestine may be misdirection. Since the "Free Gaza" protesters, by definition, lack critical thinking skills, they may not be trying to hide their identity at all.
It could be the Russians, the Chinese, or the Iranians. It could be the Democrats or Republicans. The biggest question is will we find out who the perpetrator is before the election?
Remember, this is Oregon and Washington. Authorities there, ever sensitive to offending anyone, especially Muslims, might withhold the identity of the arsonist in order to prevent "Islamophobia" from hurting the feelings of Muslims.
Soon after, a fire erupted at a ballot box in Vancouver. The fire suppressant system there did not contain the blaze, and hundreds of ballots were destroyed, officials said. They are asking anyone who dropped a ballot there after late Saturday morning, when the box was last emptied, to request a replacement ballot.
Washington and Oregon are not considered to be swing states in this election, although there are several closely watched races there, including a congressional race in southwest Washington that is considered one of the nation’s most competitive. Portland is electing a new mayor.
Both states depend on mail-voting systems, in which voters receive ballots in the mail that can be sent back via mail or dropped off at a ballot box. A few months ago, the Homeland Security Department warned in an intelligence report about the threat of “incendiary and explosive materials” being dropped into ballot boxes.
If these were terrorist acts, the non-competitive nature of the races wouldn't matter. The goal would be to spread chaos and misinformation about the security of the ballot.
Officials in Clark County, Wash., say that the area's 22 remaining ballot boxes will be watched 24 hours a day and police have promised to increase patrols near the boxes. What about the thousands and thousands of boxes in other states? Security is only as good as the system set up to protect the ballots.
But according to an election official with knowledge but not authorized to speak on record, a political letter was discovered in a ballot box at the Vancouver Mall Parking lot location just a few hours after the fires were put out.
According to the source, a white piece of paper folded in half had been deposited in the box.
It is not confirmed if the message came from the suspect involved in the arson fires, but the New York Times reports that all three incendiary devices themselves had the message “Free Gaza” written on them.
The shopping center drop box is less than 15 minutes by car from the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center, where one of the fires occurred.
A lone nut or organized plot? If the goal was to put America even more on edge than it already is, he succeeded beyond expecations.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member