Incendiary devices have been set off at two ballot drop boxes — one in Portland and another in nearby Vancouver, Washington — destroying hundreds of ballots in what one official called a “direct attack on democracy” about a week before a heated Election Day.

The early morning fire at the drop box in Portland was extinguished quickly thanks to a suppression system inside the box as well as a nearby security guard, police said, and just three ballots were damaged there.

But within a few hours, another fire was discovered at a transit centre drop box across the Columbia River in Vancouver.

Fires set in drop boxes destroy hundreds of ballots. – AP

The ballot box in Vancouver also had a fire suppression system inside, but that failed to prevent hundreds of ballots from burning, said Greg Kimsey, the longtime elected auditor in Clark County, Washington, which includes Vancouver. He urged voters who dropped their ballots in the transit centre box after 11am Saturday to contact his office for a replacement ballot.

“Heartbreaking,” Kimsey said. “It’s a direct attack on democracy.”

The office will be increasing how frequently it collects ballots and changing collection times to the evening, Kimsey said, to keep the ballot boxes from remaining full of ballots overnight when similar crimes are considered more likely to occur.

Ballot drop boxes have been the focus of conspiracy theories in recent years.

Six states have banned ballot drop boxes since 2020 – Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and South Dakota, according to research by the Voting Rights Lab, which advocates for expanded voting access. Other states have restricted their use, including Ohio and Iowa, which now permits only one drop box per county, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Washington and Oregon, which are both vote-by-mail states, have long used ballot drop boxes.

Police say fires set at ballot boxes are connected. – AP

Authorities said at a news conference in Portland that enough material from the incendiary devices was recovered to show that the two fires Monday were connected — and that they were also connected to an October 8 incident, when an incendiary device was placed at a different ballot drop box in Vancouver. No ballots were damaged in that incident.

Surveillance images captured a Volvo pulling up to a drop box in Portland, Oregon, just before security personnel nearby discovered a fire inside the box on Monday, Portland Police Bureau spokesman Mike Benner told a news conference. The incendiary devices were attached to the outside of the boxes.

The FBI was also investigating.

The fire suppression systems inside the ballot drop boxes in Washington and Oregon were designed to activate when the temperature inside reaches a certain point, coating ballots with a fire-suppressing powder.

The system appeared to have worked in the Portland drop box, and security staffers were nearby to help put out the fire. Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said the county has contracted with private security officers to have “roving patrols” that drive around the county 24 hours a day and “put eyes” on all drop boxes.

He said one of the guards was at the county elections office, heard what sounded like a blast – likely the activation of the fire suppression system – and called police.

For unknown reasons, the system failed to prevent the destruction of hundreds of ballots in Vancouver, just across the Columbia River from Portland.

Authorities investigate as smoke pours out of a ballot box in Vancouver, Washington. – AP

Vancouver is the biggest city in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, the site of what is expected to be one of the closest US House races in the country, between first-term Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican challenger Joe Kent.

“I hope the perpetrator of this reprehensible act is quickly apprehended – and local and federal law enforcement have my full support in working to keep our democratic process safe and secure,” Gluesenkamp Perez said.

She said she’s requesting an overnight law enforcement presence posted at all ballot drop boxes in Clark County through Election Day.

“Southwest Washington cannot risk a single vote being lost to arson and political violence,” she said.

Representatives for Kent’s campaign didn’t immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment.

The Portland Police Bureau said the fire there was reported at about 3:30am. Multnomah County elections said only three ballots there were damaged, and the office planned to contact those voters to help them obtain replacement ballots.

A few hours later, television crews in Vancouver captured footage of smoke pouring out of a ballot box at a transit centre.

There were surveillance cameras that covered the drop box and surrounding area, Kimsey said.

Smoke pours out of a ballot box in Vancouver, Washington. – AP

An incendiary device was also found on or near a ballot drop box in downtown Vancouver early on October 8. It did not damage the box or destroy any ballots, police said.

In a statement, the FBI said it is coordinating with federal, state and local partners to actively investigate the two incidents. Anyone with information is asked to contact the nearest FBI office, provide information through tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1800-225-5324).

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said in a statement: “Voter intimidation or any criminal act to undermine the upcoming election is un-American and will not be tolerated."

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said the state would not tolerate threats or acts of violence meant to derail voting.

“I strongly denounce any acts of terror that aim to disrupt lawful and fair elections in Washington state,” he said.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee said state and local elections officials were fully dedicated to ensuring every vote is counted accurately.

“This was a violent attack on democracy, and we will do everything to keep our election system strong and secure in Washington,” Inslee said in a statement. “There will be 24-hour enhanced security around ballot drop-off locations.”

Voters were encouraged to check their ballot status online at www.votewa.gov to track its return status. If a returned ballot is not marked as “received”, voters can print a replacement ballot or visit their local elections department for a replacement, the Secretary of State’s office said.

Washington and Oregon are both vote-by-mail states. Registered voters receive their ballots in the mail a few weeks before elections and then return them by mail or by placing them in ballot drop boxes.

In Phoenix last week, officials said roughly five ballots were destroyed and others damaged when a fire was set in a drop box at a US Postal Service station there.

A ballot box after an incendiary device was discovered inside in Portland, Oregon. – AP