Vancouver mayoral candidate and co-owner of Main Street Marijuana Adam Hamide missed the 2012 vote that legalized pot sales. In fact, he has rarely voted in primary and general elections stretching as far back as 2006, even though he was registered to vote in Washington.
Hamide is one of 15 candidates running for either mayor or city council in Vancouver in the Aug. 1 primary. The Columbian examined voting records for all of them. Participation in special elections, such as school levies, are not included in this story.
Voter registration records indicate Hamide was eligible to vote in 2012, but he said he was not a resident of Washington at the time.
Records show Hamide, 33, only voted in the 2016 general election and the 2008 general election. During the 2012 election, he didn’t receive a ballot, because he moved and did not update his address. He could have still voted by going in person to the Clark County Elections Office, according to staff there.
“There weren’t many candidates that I supported,” Hamide said. “I’m not going to vote just to vote.”
Council member and mayoral candidate Anne McEnerny-Ogle was one of the candidates who has consistently voted, according to public records.
“Voting is one of those wonderful rights that we have. Why would you not vote for something? It’s one way to express yourself. That’s what democracy is all about,” she said.
McEnerny-Ogle said it’s sad how few people vote.
Mayoral candidate Steven Cox has a consistent voting record at primary and general elections. He said that it’s important to vote in every election so somebody else isn’t making decisions for you.
“Our system isn’t working unless you make (politicians) know what you want,” he said. Cox said he’s gone to 3,000 doors in Vancouver to campaign and encourage people to vote.
Mayoral candidate Gregory Henderson missed the 2011 and the 2009 general elections. Candidate John Carroll missed the 2015 and 2014 general elections.
Here’s a look at the voting records of city council candidates:
• Council position 1
Scott Campbell (no relation to the publisher of The Columbian) missed the 2015 primary election. Maureen McGoldrick missed two primary elections since registering to vote in Vancouver in 2014.
David Roberts Roberts missed the 2013 primary election, 2011 general election, 2012 primary election and the 2008 primary election.
Nicolette Horaites missed the 2015 general election and two primary elections since she registered to vote in 2014. She said she moved during that time and she wasn’t conscientious of the dates. “I think that voting is incredibly important to preserve democracy,” she said.
Jacob Kerr missed the 2015 and 2013 general elections, and four primary elections. He could not be reached for comment.
• Council position 2
Alishia Topper, city councilor running for re-election, has not missed any primary or general elections since 2008. Justin Forsman missed three general elections and four primary elections since 2005. “I haven’t been super, super active in the elections,” he said. Forsman said he moved from Portland to Vancouver, affecting his voting. He also spent time in prison, and inmates are not allowed to vote.
“I can’t trust. That’s one of the reasons why I don’t vote for people. I trust myself,” Forsman said.
• Council position 3
Michelle Beardshear has missed six general elections and eight primary elections since 2007. She said she doesn’t have a perfect voting record, and doesn’t have a specific reason for not voting in those elections. “I try to vote in presidential elections. I try to hit primaries and ones that have important issues,” she said.
Vaughn Henderson did not miss any primary or general elections since 2015, when he registered to vote.
Linda Glover missed the 2007 primary election.
Monday is the deadline for new Washington voters to register for next month’s election.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that mayoral candidate David Roberts did not vote in the 2014 primary election. The article also incorrectly implies that Roberts voted in the 2013 primary election, 2011 general election, 2012 primary election and the 2008 primary election, when he did not.
