Police offer description of suspect in ballot box arson case

Arson incidents targeting a pair of ballot boxes earlier this week in Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon remain under investigation by the FBI and local law enforcement.

The Portland Police Bureau said Wednesday they were looking for a 30- to 40-year-old white male suspect, balding or with very short hair, a thin to medium build, and a thin face. Police believe the suspect is highly knowledgeable in metal fabrication and welding. And they said he may try to attack more ballot boxes.

In Washington, Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said Wednesday afternoon the county recovered 494 ballots from the Vancouver box.

Of those, 488 had enough information to identify the voters and 6 did not. Of the 488 ballots for which the voter could be identified, 345 of the voters have already received a replacement ballot. Some of these people got a replacement online and some had one sent to them.

Replacement ballots were expected to go out Thursday morning to the other 143 people who were affected. It was unclear how many ballots might’ve burned up entirely.

Police said a vehicle linked to the incidents is most likely a 2001 to 2004 Volvo S60, more matte in color than a standard shiny finish in places, with a tan or light gray interior, after-market grill with the Volvo emblem missing, dark wheels, unpainted body trim, and no front license plate.

The damaged Washington ballot box was at Fisher’s Landing Transit Center in Vancouver.

Voters who put their ballot in the box between 11 a.m. Saturday and Monday morning should go to www.votewa.gov to see if their ballot was received. To get a replacement, call the Clark County elections office at (564) 397-2345 or email elections @clark.wa.gov.

Bill Lucia is the Standard’s editor-in-chief. He’s covered state and local policy and politics for a decade, nationwide for Government Executive’s Route Fifty and in Seattle for Crosscut.