Ballot Drop Box Destruction Leads to Increased Security in King County

A ballot box in Vancouver, Washington, and one in Portland, Oregon, were set on fire during the early hours of Oct. 28, destroying hundreds of ballots just one week before the upcoming election.

The ballots were destroyed by an incendiary device that was dropped into the box. The Emerald spoke with Kendall Hodson, chief of staff at King County Elections, to get more information about ballot boxes and to find out if a similar incident could occur in King County.

“[Ballot boxes are] 1,000 pounds, made of steel, and bolted to the ground,” said Hodson. “We actually had one get hit by a school bus once, and the bus was damaged [while] the drop box was not.”

Hodson also said King County ballot boxes were designed to put out fires from the inside. “They are fireproof. They have a very thin slot, so basically all you can get in there is a single ballot,” she said. “[Ballot boxes] are equipped with fire stops on the inside. Every box has two of those [and] if there’s any sort of flame in there that hits it, it will disperse the material — kind of like a fire extinguisher — to suppress that.”

However, despite preventative measures, about 475 ballots were destroyed in the ballot box arson attacks in Portland and Vancouver. 

According to reports, the two fires have been linked to a third incident in Vancouver, Washington, on Oct. 8. An article by ABC News states that people familiar with that investigation have said that the devices used in the Oct. 8 arson were marked with “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine.”

Authorities are now looking for a dark-colored Volvo that was seen near the ballot box in the early morning hours just before the incident.

Hodson said King County Elections is working closely with local and federal law enforcement agencies in order to prevent and effectively respond to any potential threat to ballot boxes within King County.

“Throughout this election, we have been in really close coordination with our local law enforcement, with King County’s emergency management team, and with federal agencies like the FBI and [the Department of] Homeland Security, as they’re alerting us to threats or things that they’re witnessing,” she said. “On election night, we will actually have both staff and security at every single box, just to make sure that nothing unexpected happens.”

Voters can find their nearest King County ballot drop box location online. Voters can also mail their ballots in, postmarked by Nov. 5.