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

       The alleged arsonist is a white male between the ages of 30 and 40 who is “highly knowledgeable in both metal fabrication and welding”, according to the Portland Police Bureau.

       The suspect, who was driving a 20-year-old Volvo, was likely behind the attacks on ballot drop boxes in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, just across the Columbia River, the authorities said.

       Police said it was possible the suspect, who was not identified, intended “to continue these targeted attacks”.

       The fires, which were set in the early morning of Oct 28, damaged a handful of ballots in Portland. An incendiary device was attached to the side of a drop box, according to detectives.

       Hundreds of ballots were damaged by fire in Vancouver, where video from local news station KATU showed firefighters pulling smoking papers out of the drop box.

       The ballots in Vancouver involved one of the most competitive House races in the US, where incumbent Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is facing Republican Joe Kent.

       Washington automatically mails ballots to every registered voter in the state.

       Washington Governor Jay Inslee said there would be “24-hour enhanced security around ballot drop-off locations” to prevent further incidents.

       He encouraged voters who were potentially impacted to check the status of their ballots with Clark County, where the Vancouver fire took place, or on the online voter portal.

       “This was a violent attack on democracy, and we will do everything to keep our election system strong and secure in Washington,” Mr Inslee said in a statement. “Our state and local election teams are fully dedicated to making sure every person’s vote is counted fairly and accurately.”

       The Clark County auditor’s office said that by Oct 29, 345 voters had already requested a new ballot, and the election office planned to mail 143 replacements to other voters whose initial ballots were damaged.

       The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Attorney for the Western District of Washington are assisting in the investigation.

       “We are working closely and expeditiously together to investigate the two incendiary fires at the ballot boxes in Vancouver, Washington, and the one in Portland, Oregon, and will work to hold whoever is responsible fully accountable,” US Attorney Tessa Gorman and Mr Greg Austin, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle field office, said in a joint statement. BLOOMBERG