Investigators say the man suspected of burning ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington state is an experienced metalworker and may be planning additional attacks.

The two cities in the Pacific Northwest are neighbors on opposite sides of the Columbia River, and it's not clear whether the attacks are linked.

Federal authorities are investigating fires at two ballot boxes reported Monday morning in the Portland, Oregon, area that destroyed hundreds of ballots at one location, as well as another fire reported earlier this month.

Police have released a description of the suspect in two ballot box fires in Oregon and Washington as election officials are rushing to send replacement ballots to the voters who were affected.

Two ballot box fires in Washington and Oregon early Monday morning destroyed hundreds of ballots, just eight days before the Nov. 5 general election.

Two ballot drop box fires in the Pacific Northwest this week have stoked concerns about election security and the risk of violence in the 2024 election days before voting concludes. Arson burned hundreds of ballots in what one official called “a direct attack on democracy” in Vancouver,

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency advises election officials to put drop boxes in high-traffic areas such as libraries