Today is election day. Voters have until 8 p.m. to drop off their primary election ballots at seven county locations. For a full list of voting sites and a sample ballot, visit www.clarkvotes.org. Ballots can also be mailed if they are postmarked by today.
If you haven’t registered to vote, it’s still possible to cast a ballot. This is the first year Washington allows for same-day voter registration. Contact the Clark County Elections Office at 564-397-2345 for more information.
The races on the ballot include:
• Clark County Council District 4 position.
• Two Battle Ground City Council seats.
• Two Vancouver City Council seats.
• Three Vancouver School District Board of Directors seats.
Also on the ballot are multiple school and emergency service levies that need each need a simple majority to pass:
• An emergency medical services levy renewal in the town of Yacolt.
• A replacement programs and operations levy in the Green Mountain School District.
• A property tax levy for fire protection and emergency medical services for East County Fire and Rescue.
• An emergency medical services levy renewal for Clark County Emergency Medical Service District No. 1.
In Washington, the two candidates that receive the most votes in the primary election advance to the November general election, except for the special election for Clark County Council. The council race, between Republican Councilor Gary Medvigy and Democrat Adrian Cortes, is the only partisan race on the ballot. Under state law, all partisan races appear on the primary ballot regardless of how many people running.
Not all voters will receive ballots. Registered voters in Clark County Council District 4, the cities of Vancouver and Battle Ground, town of Yacolt, the Vancouver and Green Mountain school districts, Clark County Emergency Management Services District No. 1, and East County Fire and Rescue will receive ballots for the Aug. 6 primary election.
Like other primary elections, turnout is expected to be low (between 25-30 percent). As of Aug. 5, 42,355 voters (18.15 percent) have returned ballots.
Check columbian.com at 8:30 p.m. for the initial results and follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #ClarkElex.
