Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) mentioned Monday the burning of a poll field in her district was “unpatriotic” and requested for legislation enforcement to watch all drop packing containers in a single day till 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 submit 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 poll field in Vancouver, Wash., was one in all two that had been burned early Monday. Authorities mentioned they responded to a report of an arson and located the poll field smoking and on fireplace, in accordance with native outlet KATU. In addition they discovered a suspicious machine close by, police mentioned.
Officers say tons of of ballots could also be broken.
Authorities additionally discovered an incendiary machine inside a poll field in Portland, Ore., once they responded to reviews of a fireplace round 3:30 a.m. native time, in accordance with the Portland Police Bureau. Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott mentioned fireplace suppressant contained in the field protected a lot of the ballots.
In her submit on Monday, Gluesenkamp Perez mentioned 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 dealing with a tricky race to maintain her Home seat this yr, after pulling off a stunning win in 2022 in Washington’s third Congressional District, which is right-leaning. The Cook dinner Political Report charges the district as a “toss-up.”
