With only three days to go until Election Day, ballots are arriving by the thousands at the elections office.
As of Friday, 44,216 ballots had already been received. That translates to a turnout of 16.2 percent of Clark County’s 272,882 registered voters.
Off-year elections traditionally draw fewer voters, though the ballots tend to be bigger. This year, for example, voters will weigh in on 80 local government positions, five local tax measures and three state advisory votes.
In one of the state’s most heavily promoted races, voters who live within the Port of Vancouver’s taxing district will choose between Kris Greene and Don Orange for port commissioner. It’s widely seen as a referendum over Vancouver Energy’s proposal to build a giant oil terminal here. With the two incumbent commissioners split on the terminal, the new commissioner is expected to tip the balance of power.
County Auditor Greg Kimsey said he expects voter turnout to reach 35 percent based on early returns. That would be congruent with the last two off-year elections. In 2013, turnout was 38 percent; in 2009, it was 44 percent. That year featured a hotly contested Vancouver mayoral race in which City Councilor Tim Leavitt defeated incumbent Royce Pollard.
New this election is a 24-hour ballot drop box in Ridgefield, located in the median of North First Circle, east of Interstate 5 at the Ridgefield Junction near the Country Cafe. It joins the others around the county. Voters can also mail their ballots, or take them to any of approximately two dozen Election Day ballot drop sites.
For those people who are stationed overseas or temporarily away from home, the elections office even has a system where registered voters can print their own ballots, fill them out, and mail them in.
When filling out their ballots, all voters should be sure to use a black or blue ink pen and color the boxes completely. Kimsey said the county is in the early stages of looking at an upgraded voting system, but even then, coloring in the boxes will likely be the way we vote for a number of years in the future.
Another thing that hasn’t changed this year: On election night, there will be one tabulation of ballots, the results of which will be released about 8:15 p.m. A public gathering of candidates and supporters is scheduled to coincide with the release of the results. It will take place on the sixth floor of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.
A second batch of results will be available Wednesday afternoon; the final results and election certification are due on Nov. 28.
Look for complete coverage of the election results online at www.columbian.com and in Wednesday’s print edition of The Columbian.
