VANCOUVER, Wash. - With November ballots heading out to voters in Washington and Oregon this week, Clark County election officials say they have added extra protections to ballot drop boxes, two years after an arsonist targeted boxes in Vancouver and Portland, KPTV reported.
Just weeks before the 2024 general election, investigators say someone placed incendiary devices on drop boxes in both cities. A fire suppression system saved most ballots in Portland, but hundreds were destroyed in Vancouver. The arsonist was never caught.
Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey told KPTV the county is not taking any chances this time around. Video cameras have been installed on all 22 of the county's ballot drop boxes, even though the 2024 attack was captured on video without leading to an arrest.
Cameras are only the first line of defense. Boxes across the county now also feature internal fire suppression systems, plus sensors that alert officials instantly if a box is struck, tampered with or opened, according to the report.
Kimsey said the safeguards are meant to deter bad behavior and, if something does happen, give law enforcement the intelligence needed to arrest and hopefully prosecute the person responsible. He said Washington and Oregon have had many years to refine their vote-by-mail systems, with checks, controls and procedures in place to ensure results accurately and comprehensively reflect the decisions of participating voters.
Washington ballots hit the mail Tuesday, and Kimsey's advice is simple: do not wait until deadline day. He encouraged voters to look at their ballots right away and vote early, leaving time to cure any issue that comes up. Tuesday was also the last day to register to vote in Oregon, where ballots were mailed Wednesday.