THIS is the shocking moment the first US election votes were set on fire as the FBI begins a hunt for the arsonist.
Several postal boxes went up in flames across Washington State and Oregon resulting in the incineration of ballots just days before the election.
The FBI has revealed it believes one culprit is responsible for the string of attacks.
These fires have been particularly damaging as they have affected ballot drop boxes.
Voting Americans can cast their votes by post before the election day on November 5.
These people would therefore not have to visit a polling place as the votes should be counted before the main day.
Therefore these ballot box attacks resulted in hundreds of votes being damaged.
A shocking video showed the moment police pulled out piles of burning votes from a box in Vancouver, Washington.
The red ballot box became engulfed in smoke and flames at around 4 am on Monday.
Clark County auditor Greg Kimsey revealed the amount of damage caused by this fire, according to The Telegraph.
“We don’t have the exact number, but it was hundreds,” Kimsey said.
“It’s a direct attack on democracy,” he added.
Another ballot box just ten miles away in Portland, Oregon, was damaged at 3:30 am on Monday, according to ABC affiliate KATU.
Security workers in the area quickly put out this fire before cops arrived on the scene.
Investigators discovered a device attached to the ballot box which ignited the fire.
The local Multnomah County shared that only three ballots were damaged in this attempt and these voters will be contacted.
Portland Police said it is searching for a Volvo S-60 model car it believes could be connected to these fires.
The vehicle has been described as a 2001-2004 model and is either black or dark-colored.
Security footage captured images of a Volvo stopping at a Portland ballot box before a fire was discovered.
Portland’s FBI office said it was coordinating with federal, state, and local officials to “determine who is responsible.”
This city has been known as a hotspot for lawless anti-police activity, especially after 2020.
Portland’s police force was defunded by $15 million and the city’s top prosecutors refused to charge low-level crime.
Oregon also became the first state in the US to decriminalize most drug possession.
The result of these policies has been a rise in crime, including car thefts and homicides.
Portland became notorious in 2020 when the city’s Capitol Hill area became a self-declared autonomous zone during an occupied protest.
It took police nearly a month to clear occupants in the area.
OFF TO THE POLLS
Early voting has commenced across the US a week before election day.
People can cast these by post or do early in-person voting.
President Joe Biden was seen shuffling to the counter at a polling station in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday.
The 81-year-old waited for 40 minutes and took around 85 seconds to cast his vote once he entered the booth.
“Let’s go vote,” Biden said as he arrived.
Kamala Harris‘ running partner Tim Walz also cast an early election vote on Wednesday.
The governor of Minnesota was spotted at a polling station in his home state with his wife Gwen and son Gus.
President Joe Biden cast his early in-person vote on Monday[/caption]
Biden waited in line with voters outside a polling station in Delaware[/caption]
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