More information about the upcoming elections, including a digital voters’ pamphlet, is available at www.clark.wa.gov/elections
July 17: Ballots go out to registered voters.
July 24: If you do not receive your mail ballot by this day, contact the Elections Office at 360-397-2345. Replacement ballots can be requested in person, or by email, mail or telephone. The Elections Office is at 1408 Franklin St., Vancouver. Its email address is elections@clark.wa.gov, and its mailing address is Elections Department, P.O. Box, 8815, Vancouver, WA 98666-8815.
Aug. 4: Election Day. Mail-in ballots must be post-marked by this day, or brought to any drop-off location by 8 p.m.
Primary ballots will be making their way to voters’ mailboxes Friday, and Clark County is trying to make returning them a little easier this year with the addition of two prominent, bright-red ballot drop boxes.
The Elections Office has installed the unmistakable 24-hour ballot drop-off boxes at Battle Ground City Hall, 109 S.W. First St., and at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center, 3510 S.E. 164th Ave., Vancouver. There is also a third red ballot box in downtown Vancouver at the intersection of West 14th and Esther streets.
Voters can drive up and drop off their ballots at any of the locations until 8 p.m. Aug. 4, Election Day. If there is anyone in line to drop their ballot off at 8 p.m., they will be allowed to deposit their ballot.
Be aware that there is a typo in the voters’ pamphlet giving the incorrect address for the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center, according to Clark County Elections Office officials.
Auditor Greg Kimsey hopes the boxes will encourage more people to return their ballots. About 20 percent of ballots are collected by the boxes, he said.
“Where else can you find a location where you can deposit your ballot from the driver’s seat of the car?” he said.
This year’s primary features the hotly contested Clark County council and Port of Vancouver races, as well as a Vancouver City Council and Battle Ground School Board races. The top two candidates in each race, regardless of party, will advance to the general election in November.
30 percent turnout forecast
Despite the push to get more voters to return their ballots, Kimsey estimates voter turnout will be about 30 percent this year — and even that’s optimistic for an election held during an odd-numbered year, he said.
The 2014 primary election saw a voter turnout of 28.61 percent, while the 2013 primary saw a voter turnout of 19.56 percent.
July 17: Ballots go out to registered voters.
July 24: If you do not receive your mail ballot by this day, contact the Elections Office at 360-397-2345. Replacement ballots can be requested in person, or by email, mail or telephone. The Elections Office is at 1408 Franklin St., Vancouver. Its email address is elections@clark.wa.gov, and its mailing address is Elections Department, P.O. Box, 8815, Vancouver, WA 98666-8815.
Aug. 4: Election Day. Mail-in ballots must be post-marked by this day, or brought to any drop-off location by 8 p.m.
“So many aspects of your life are affected by decisions made by elected officials,” Kimsey said. “These local offices impact people to a great degree.”
The Elections Office also is planning to install several more boxes before the 2016 presidential election.
On Election Day, the number of places where voters can drop off their ballots increases to 35. A full list of those locations is on the Election Office website, www.clark.wa.gov/election.
Washington is a vote-by-mail state, so voters also can mail their ballots back to the Elections Office. Ballots must be postmarked by Aug. 4.
Accessible voting for voters with vision, hearing or mobility issues is available at the Elections Office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday during the 20 days leading up to the election, and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
