On October 28th two ballot boxes in the Pacific Northwest were harmed in an attack that resulted in hundreds of ballots being destroyed or damaged. The first attack was in Vancouver, Washington, followed by a second in Portland, Oregon. It is currently unknown who the attacker was but the Portland Police do have traits for who a suspect might be. The Portland Police also have reasonable evidence of a motivation for the attacks as well.
At around 2:30 AM a dark-colored Sedan was spotted at the Fishers Landing Transit Center. Footage shows a glow against the driver’s side window and about half a minute later the driver pulls away as smoke emanates from the box. Seconds later a blast lights up the camera feed as sparks showered from the box. According to Clark County officials, the fire suppression system of the box failed and hundreds of ballots were damaged and burned, with only 448 being able to be identified.
Later at around 3:30 AM the Portland police responded to a fire on Southeast Morrison Street. Unlike the box in Vancouver, the fire suppression system did work in this instance and saved many ballots from being damaged by the incendiary attack. Currently, police believe the suspect acted alone and drove from Vancouver to Portland for these attacks. The Vancouver footage was unable to provide good detail on the driver or vehicle, but the footage in Portland was better able to capture details of the suspect.
Based on footage and investigation Portland police have pinpointed certain traits the suspect likely has. For the suspects’ physical appearance, they are likely a man in his 30s or 40s, with a thin-medium build, thin face, short or balding hair, and wearing a dark shirt. The car did not have a front license plate, but police were able to identify the car as a dark-colored Volvo S-60 made between 2001 and 2004. They also believe that due to the skill needed to make such incendiary devices, the suspect likely has a good amount of experience in metalworking. While they have not pinpointed an official motivation as of yet, there is suspicion of a political motivation due to writing on the incendiary devices.
On the devices, the message “FREE GAZA” was written. Given how many in the pro-Palestinian movement feel as though either option in this election will continue the genocide in Gaza, it makes sense as to why they would protest against the electoral system itself. The theory that the suspect is working alone also still works because organizations like the PSL and other major pro-Palestinian organizations haven’t been espousing anti-electoral ideas. However, because police haven’t caught the suspect yet, it is impossible to rule out that this was a false flag operation to make the Palestinian movement look bad.
