Ballots for the upcoming election will soon be in voters’ hands.
The Clark County Elections Department’s contractor has mailed ballots for the Nov. 6 general election. Voters will decide on races for Clark County government, state Legislature, Clark Public Utilities and a special election for Vancouver City Council. They will also weigh in on multiple statewide ballot initiatives and federal elections for U.S. Senate and House.
According to Clark County Elections Supervisor Cathie Garber, nearly 5,000 people registered to vote between Sept. 6 and Oct. 18. She said in an email that her office still has 700 more records to process, which she said could be new registrations or just updates to voters’ existing information. As of Thursday, there were 281,444 registered voters in Clark County.
Last year, 3,705 new voters registered in Clark County, according to numbers provided by Garber. In 2016, a presidential election year, the county saw 8,087 new registrations. In 2015, 3,388 new voters registered in Clark County, and 2,908 registered in 2014.
The chairs of both of Clark County’s major parties weren’t surprised by the uptick and said that people are more engaged in politics.
“There are a lot of people who are being called to action who are really frustrated with what’s going on in (Washington) D.C.,” said Rich Rogers, chair of the Clark County Democrats.
He said that his party has done concentrated voter-registration efforts at Vancouver Mall and local colleges. He said that an informal group called “Grumpy Old Democrats” have made it their mission to sign up new voters.
David Gellatly, chair of the Clark County Republican Party, said that people have come to his party’s headquarters asking how they can get involved in politics and get registered to vote.
“When I open up the door at noon (at the party headquarters), a couple times we’ve had lines waiting outside,” he said.
He also said that more people moving to Clark County has brought new political participation on both sides. Gellatly said that his party’s new “Be Bold” branding strategy has paid off and directed enthusiasm toward party activities. He said he’s seen particular interest from young people just turning 18 and becoming eligible to vote.
It’s still not too late to register to vote. Although the deadline for mail-in and online registration has passed, prospective voters can still register by visiting Clark County Elections at 1408 Franklin St. in Vancouver. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The deadline for in-person registration is Oct. 29.
Voters who don’t receive a ballot by Thursday are advised to contact the Elections Office at 360-397-2345. Replacement ballots can also be requested by emailing elections@clark.wa.gov or mailing Clark County Elections Department, P.O. Box 8815, Vancouver, WA 98666.
Ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 6 to be counted when voting by mail. The deadline to return a ballot through one of the county’s seven permanent ballot drop boxes is 8 p.m. Nov. 6.
