Washington Democrat calls ballot box burning 'unpatriotic'

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) said Monday the burning of a ballot box in her district was "unpatriotic" and asked for law enforcement to monitor all drop boxes overnight until Election Day.

“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 wrote in a post on the social platform X. “Our right to vote needs to be protected under all circumstances. We can’t yield to intimidation, and we must continue to stand up against unpatriotic acts such as this one.”

The ballot box in Vancouver, Wash., was one of two that were burned early Monday. Authorities said they responded to a report of an arson and found the ballot box smoking and on fire, according to local outlet KATU. They also found a suspicious device nearby, police said.

Officials say hundreds of ballots may be damaged.

Authorities also found an incendiary device inside a ballot box in Portland, Ore., when they responded to reports of a fire around 3:30 a.m. local time, according to the Portland Police Bureau. Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said fire suppressant inside the box protected most of the ballots.

In her post on Monday, Gluesenkamp Perez said she is “incredibly thankful to the local first responders who quickly arrived on scene, put out the fire, and salvaged the ballots they could.”

“There is absolutely zero place in our democracy for political violence or interference against our fellow citizens, election workers, or voting infrastructure,” she added.

Gluesenkamp Perez is facing a tough race to keep her House seat this year, after pulling off a surprising win in 2022 in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, which is right-leaning. The Cook Political Report rates the district as a "toss-up."