Investigators responding to two ballot box arson incidents in the Pacific Northwest this week found devices marked with the words “Free Gaza” at both locations, according to two law enforcement officials.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the perpetrator was actually a pro-Palestinian activist or someone using that prominent cause to sow discord, one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. But the message adds a heightened layer of political sensitivity to the closely watched investigation in the final days of a tense presidential election.
Both fires broke out within moments of each other early Monday morning across the state line in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Wash.
According to law enforcement officials, the “Free Gaza” message appeared not only on the two devices discovered on Monday, but also on a device found in a third ballot box this month in Vancouver. The device also had the words “Free Palestine” on it.
Authorities said at a news conference that they believe all three incidents are linked. They later released surveillance photos of a suspect vehicle, asking for the public's help in identifying the man driving a dark Volvo from the early 2000s.
“Enough evidence was collected at all three incidents to lead us to believe that all three incidents are connected, and we can't go into further detail,” Portland Police Bureau spokesman Mike Benner said Monday.
On Tuesday, Mr. Benner said he did not know details about any traces, but said the device linked to the ballot box in Portland had been sent for forensic analysis. “As part of that analysis, the device will be examined for unique writings and markings,” he said. He said that the motive could not be known.
One of the law enforcement officials with knowledge of the markings said all three devices were sent to the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center in Huntsville, Ala.
In Portland, election officials said, the ballot box's automatic fire suppression system protected almost all the ballots. Election officials were reaching out to three voters whose ballots were damaged.
Shortly thereafter, a ballot box caught fire in Vancouver. Officials said the fire suppression system in place could not control the fire and hundreds of ballot papers were destroyed. They're asking anyone who dropped off a ballot there late Saturday morning, when the box was last emptied, to request a replacement ballot.
Washington and Oregon are not considered swing states in this election, although several races there are being closely watched, including the congressional race in Southwest Washington, considered one of the most competitive races in the country. Is. Portland is electing a new mayor.
Both states rely on mail-voting systems, in which voters receive ballots in the mail that can be returned via mail or dropped into a ballot box. A few months earlier, the Department of Homeland Security had warned in an intelligence report about the danger of “incendiary and explosive materials” being dropped into ballot boxes.
To further protect its ballot boxes, officials in Clark County, which includes Vancouver, said Monday that observers will be keeping a 24-hour watch at the area's 22 drop boxes. Law enforcement agencies have also vowed to increase patrolling around drop boxes.