Multnomah County, Ore. (Oct. 28, 2024) — Today at about 3:30 a.m., security at the Multnomah County Elections Division alerted the Portland Police Bureau they had responded to a fire at a nearby Multnomah County ballot box in the 1000 block of S.E. Morrison Street. Officers determined an incendiary device had been used to ignite the fire. The Police Bureau’s Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU) responded to the scene and cleared the device.
Fire suppressant inside the ballot box protected virtually all the ballots. Only three ballots suffered damage, and Elections will contact those three voters, via unique identifiers on their ballot envelopes, so they can receive replacement ballots. Voters should be assured that even if their ballots were in the affected box, their votes will be counted.
The Multnomah County Elections Division Building was not affected, and the site is open for normal operations today. Security teams patrol and monitor ballot boxes 24/7. No other ballot boxes or official drop sites in Multnomah County were affected.
Anyone who dropped their ballot into the ballot box on SE Belmont between 3:30 p.m. Saturday Oct. 26, and Monday at 3 a.m. should reach out to Elections at 503-988-6826 if they have any concerns.
We would also ask that if members of the public see any suspicious activity around any ballot box to call 9-1-1 immediately.
“We have multiple systems and security measures in place to ensure your ballot is safe,’’ Elections Director Tim Scott said. “Your Elections team is working hard to make sure that every vote counts.”
Multnomah County voters are also encouraged to sign up for our Track Your Ballot service which allows you to receive a text, phone or email alerts when their ballot has been mailed out and when it’s been received and accepted for counting. For more information visit: multco.us/trackyourballot. Sign up directly here: http://multnomah.ballottrax.net