Clark County voters have one last day to get their ballots in for the Feb. 8 special election. All ballots, including replacement ballots, must be dropped off in one of the 22 permanent ballot drop boxes no later than 8 p.m. today.
Ballots can also be mailed but must be postmarked by Feb. 8. Mailed ballots must be received by Feb. 17, one day prior to the election certification scheduled for Feb. 18.
“We did receive some ballots in this morning, but we’re not seeing a very strong turnout,” Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said Monday. “Of course, we don’t tabulate any ballots until after 8 p.m. tomorrow night.”
According to Kimsey, the Elections Office received 38,975 ballots as of Monday, with 6,522 coming in that day. That is a turnout of 22.3 percent of eligible voters.
“We were thinking about 35 percent” of voters would turn out, Kimsey added. “Unless we get a big surge on Tuesday and Wednesday, we’re looking at maybe 30 percent.”
If you haven’t received a ballot, there is still time. To print a replacement ballot, go to votewa.gov or request a ballot in person no later than 8 p.m. at the Elections Office at 1408 Franklin St. in Vancouver.
County residents can register to vote or update existing voter registrations in person by 8 p.m. at the Elections Office.
Elections staff will begin preparing the tabulation equipment that tallies election results at 7:15 p.m. on Election Day. Preliminary results will be posted on clarkvotes.org around 8:15 p.m., with live coverage to follow on columbian.com.
Issues on the ballot include Proposition 2, which would impose a levy lid lift to fund about $15 million per year for the Vancouver Fire Department, as well as measures for the Evergreen, Green Mountain, Hockinson, La Center, Mount Pleasant and Ridgefield school districts. Only voters residing in those districts will receive a ballot.
An online voters’ guide and a sample ballot listing the ballot measures for the special election is available at clarkvotes.org.
This could be the last election where a supermajority is required to pass the school bonds typically included on special election ballots.
House Bill 1226 sponsored by state Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, is one of two bills currently working through the Legislature that would lower the number of votes needed to a simple majority. A second bill, Senate Bill 5386, would reduce it approval threshold to 55 percent instead of the 60 percent required currently.
