In response to the recent incident where ballots were damaged or destroyed at the Fisher's Landing C-Tran Transit Center, Clark County is ramping up security measures. According to a statement from County Auditor Greg Kimsey, the Sheriff's Office and Vancouver Police Department will have increased patrols around ballot boxes, while county election office employees will monitor these sites around the clock.
Election officials have salvaged what they could from the vandalized ballot box, processing all ballots that remained legible after the fire. However, some ballots were beyond repair and could not be counted. Voters who used the Fisher's Landing box after 11 am on October 26 are advised to visit votewa.gov to confirm if their ballot was received and if not, Kimsey recommends they contact the elections office for a replacement ballot, as detailed by the Clark County.
"I'm very saddened by this incident," Kimsey said, emphasizing the gravity of the situation and regarding the destruction of ballots as "an attack on American democracy," as stated by Clark County. He urges locals to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activities they observe around ballot boxes immediately to authorities, using 911 for emergencies or 311 for non-emergencies.
The compromised ballot drop box at the transit center has since been replaced. Voters have until 8 pm on Election Day, Nov. 5, to submit their ballots. They can do this through several means: using USPS pre-paid envelopes provided with their ballots, dropping them at various boxes across the county listed at clarkvotes.org, or bringing them directly to the Elections Office. Ballots deposited in drop boxes by 5:30 pm are collected by elections workers on the same day. The Elections Office is located at 1408 Franklin St. in downtown Vancouver.
