Months before the 2024 election, voters in Clark County already have weighed in on one contentious issue — our elections are safe, fair and conducted with integrity.
That is the conclusion to be drawn from a proposed initiative that was seeking a spot on the November ballot. The Restore Election Confidence proposal required 27,702 signatures from registered voters by May 25 — a designated percentage of voters in the county; instead, it drew approximately 8,000 according to organizers — about 29 percent of what was needed.
We harbor no illusions that this result will halt the absurd allegations that elections here and elsewhere are rife with fraud. But we will celebrate the firm rebuke voters have delivered to those who foster division and sow discord with lies about the election process. Secure elections are vitally important to American democracy, and voters clearly believe that Clark County elections are trustworthy.
Auditor Greg Kimsey, the county’s top elections official, said: “The ability of citizens to enact laws via the initiative process is an important part of our county charter. The failure of this proposed initiative appears to demonstrate that voters are highly confident in the integrity of Clark County election administrative processes.”
Rob Anderson, who led the initiative effort, said it was a nonpartisan attempt to improve election integrity and increase voter turnout. The facts belie that assertion. Anderson is a Republican precinct committee officer and led a 2021 mini-initiative effort to create a county ordinance banning mask and vaccine mandates. He also accused the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, The Columbian and Kimsey of “pushing out false information” to suppress the initiative.
These are the hallmarks of an extremist, not somebody sincerely interested in nonpartisan efforts.
In addition, the website for the Restore Election Confidence initiative included a link for Patriots United. That organization’s website claims, “It is all but confirmed that our elections in Washington State are stolen and have been stolen (or at least heavily manipulated) for decades.”
No, that has not been confirmed. There is no evidence to even reasonably suggest it. But the accusation bereft of proof still can be damaging.
A tiny-but-noisy segment of the population has embraced Donald Trump’s unfounded accusations that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. Although some 60 lawsuits were filed on Trump’s behalf and although one of Trump’s lawyers admitted in court that “no reasonable person would conclude that the statements were truly statements of fact,” the lies persist. In the process, the drip-drip-drip of falsehoods erodes faith in our elections, with partisan passion supplanting logic in how Americans view our democracy.
The Clark County initiative was an offshoot of that passion, suggesting that there are problems with local elections when there is no evidence to confirm that. The Clark County Auditor’s office operates with the utmost transparency; its website includes a 20-minute video explaining the election process, and officials are responsive to inquiries from the public.
But the initiative called for, among other things, the establishment of chain-of-custody records for every ballot and for ballot drop boxes to be equipped with around-the-clock security cameras. Some voters likely would agree with those proposals. But as the failed signature-gathering effort demonstrates, most voters understand that local elections are conducted fairly and honestly.
