Despite arson attacks on ballot boxes in Vancouver and Portland this week, voters are still using ballot boxes in droves.
The presence of 24/7 observers in Clark County watching for nefarious behavior has eased some minds since someone placed an incendiary device in an east Vancouver and a southeast Portland ballot box early Monday morning, damaging or destroying hundreds of ballots. Investigators believe the arsonist may continue the attacks.
And yet, a steady stream of cars flowed through ballot box dropoffs today, including at the box that was attacked in east Vancouver at C-Tran’s Fisher’s Landing Transit Center. The ballot box has since been replaced.
U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, who is running for reelection, dropped off her ballot in that box this morning.
“The fires were concerning, but I’m really confident in the work and in the actions that have been taken. … The most important thing right now is people get their ballots in,” she said.
According to the Clark County Elections Office, Washington residents can drop off their ballot in any ballot box in the state. If they’re not a resident of that ballot box’s county, their ballot will be mailed to their county of residence.
Jennifer Whitaker is one of three observers monitoring the Fisher’s Landing ballot drop box in shifts. She has sat in a car keeping her eyes on the box from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. since Tuesday. She hasn’t noticed any problems but was surprised at the amount of attention the box received.
“People want to see the box. They’re taking pictures of it. … People are definitely charged about this box,” Whitaker said.
She’s seen many people take videos in front of the box, some waving flags and others expressing their frustrations about dropping off their ballots for the second time.
Elections staff have identified 488 damaged ballots retrieved from the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center ballot box, according to a Wednesday statement. As of Tuesday, 345 of the identified voters had already contacted the Elections Office to request replacement ballots. Elections staff mailed the remaining 143 replacement ballots to voters Thursday.
Tracy Hernandez dropped off her family’s ballots for the second time after the elections office told her their ballots were likely destroyed, she said. She had dropped off the ballots the day before the ballot box fire.
Using the county’s election tracking tool, she found the ballots had not been received.
In spite of the attack, she said she’s not worried about her ballots being destroyed again in the same location. The 24-hour observers and the fact that the ballots will be picked up before 5:30 p.m. each day makes her feel confident.
“If something happens and I hear about it, I’ll be back to get my ballot before Election Day,” she said.
The observers, hired from the Vancouver temp agency NW Staffing Resources, are costing the county about $134,000, according to Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey. But the money is worth it, he said.
So far, the observers haven’t reported any suspicious behavior to the elections office, he said. One observer was caught sleeping on the job, however, and was let go.
Some Clark County groups are advertising ballot harvesting, where they’ll collect ballots and drop them off for voters. Kimsey encourages people to give ballots only to someone they trust.
On Kimsey’s Facebook page, he warned that Firmly Planted Family Homeschool Resource Center planned to set up a ballot box. Photos in a Facebook group show a black box labeled “Ballot Drop Box” at the east Vancouver center.
“This is not an official ballot drop box and is not affiliated with the Clark County Elections Office,” Kimsey said. “I don’t question the intentions at all, but even people with good intentions don’t follow through sometimes.”
Kimsey will be at a vigil organized by the Clark County Justice Coalition from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Fisher’s Landing ballot box, 3510 S.E. 164th Ave., Vancouver, he said on Facebook.
“I am so proud of the response by our community to that attack,” Kimsey said.
