October 28, 2024

Multnomah County, Oregon (October 28, 2024) — At approximately 3:30 a.m. today, Multnomah County Elections Department security alerted the Portland Police Bureau that they had responded to a fire at a nearby Multnomah County ballot box in the 1000 block of SE Morrison Street. Officers determined that a fire extinguisher had been used to ignite the fire. The police station’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit (EDU) arrived on the scene and cleared the device.

Fire extinguishers in the ballot box protected almost all ballots. Only three ballots were damaged, and Elections will contact these three voters, via unique identifiers on their ballot envelopes, so they can receive replacement ballots. Voters should be assured that even if their ballot paper is in the appropriate box, their votes will be counted.

The Multnomah County Elections Division building was not affected and the site is open for normal use today. Security teams patrol and monitor the ballot boxes 24/7. No other polls or official drop sites in Multnomah County were affected.

Anyone who placed their ballot in the ballot box at SE Belmont between 3:30 PM on Saturday, October 26 and 3:00 AM on Monday should contact Elections at 503-988-6826 if they are concerned.

We also ask this if members of the public see suspicious activity in the area any ballot box to call 9-1-1 immediately.

“We have multiple systems and security measures in place to ensure your ballot is secure,” said Director of Elections Tim Scott. “Your elections team is working hard to ensure every vote counts.”

Voters in Multnomah County are also encouraged to sign up for our Track Your Ballot service, which allows you to receive a text, phone or email alert when their ballot has been mailed and when it has been received and accepted for counting. For more information visit: multco.us/trackyourballot. Register directly here: http://multnomah.ballottrax.net