VANCOUVER, Wash. — Election officials and police are increasing security after someone lit ballot boxes on fire in Vancouver and Portland on Monday.
The two fires happened at ballot boxes near the Fisher's Landing Transit Center and outside the Multnomah County Elections Division building on Southeast 10th Avenue and Morrison Street. The fire in Vancouver destroyed hundreds of ballots, while only three were burned in Portland.
The same suspect vehicle has been linked to a similar incident in Vancouver three weeks ago. The FBI is investigating all three arson cases.
RELATED: Here's what to do if you think your ballot was destroyed in Washington, Oregon ballot box fires
Now a week away from Election Day, contracted workers will be closely monitoring all 22 of the county's ballots 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They will not confront anyone, but they will be there to observe and report anything suspicious.
"You know, it's heartbreaking. It is a direct attack on democracy. It shouldn't happen. It's ... interfering with people's vote is un-American," said longtime Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey during a news conference on Monday.
The Clark County Elections office will increase how frequently ballots are collected from boxes so that the boxes aren't full overnight. Kimsey said he encourages voters to drop their ballots off at boxes before 5:30 p.m.
"We are encouraging voters to take advantage of all of the options to them. The post office, you can bring your ballot to the elections office, directly to us," Kimsey said
He also said the office will work to obtain fire suppression devices that work better. An automatic fire suppression device limited the damage in the Portland fire, but the suppression device in the Vancouver box apparently failed.
There will also be increased law enforcement presence. Deputies with the Clark County Sheriff's Office and Vancouver police officers are adding patrols near ballot boxes.
In Oregon, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office will increase its patrols with both uniformed and non-uniformed personnel around all ballot boxes.
"We want you to know that the elections office is also safer than it has ever been before," said Carey Kaer, chief deputy of the law enforcement division at the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. "We have uniformed facility security officers here, deployed at the elections office to provide a physical safety presence for everybody."