Clark County Sheriff’s Office to provide enhanced security at ballot drop boxes

Following the burning of a ballot box at the Fisher’s Landing C-TRAN Transit Center in Vancouver earlier this week, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office will increase patrols around ballot drop box locations in the unincorporated area in Clark County as calls for service allow. The Vancouver Police Department also will have increased patrols around ballot boxes in the city of Vancouver as calls for service allow.

In addition to an increased law enforcement presence, Clark County Elections Office employees will serve as ballot box observers 24 hours a day, seven days a week at each of the 22 drop boxes throughout the county. Employees will not confront anyone. They are there to observe and report any suspicious activities to the proper authorities

Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey is addressing concerns regarding ballots damaged or destroyed after being burned in the ballot box located at 3510 S.E. 164th Ave. Ballots deposited in that box after 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, may have been damaged or destroyed. Elections officials have gathered the ballots from the box and processed those that were still able to go through the sorting machine. Some ballots were either destroyed or too damaged to be processed.  

Voters can check online to see if their ballot was received by going to votewa.gov. If a voter does not see their ballot as being received by Oct. 28, they can get a new ballot by visiting the Elections Office at 1408 Franklin St. in downtown Vancouver or contacting Elections at 564.397.2345 or elections@clark.wa.gov. 

Ballots deposited prior to 11 a.m. on Oct. 26 were collected by election officials and not damaged by the fire. 

“I’m very saddened by this incident,” Kimsey said. “This action is an attack on American democracy.”

Kimsey urges residents to report suspicious activity surrounding ballot boxes by contacting 911 for immediate emergencies and 311 for non-emergencies. 

The drop box at the C-TRAN Transit Center has been replaced. 

Ballots are due on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, by 8 pm. Voters can mail ballots via the U.S. Postal Service in the postage-paid envelope that came with their ballots. Voters also can drop their ballots in ballot boxes throughout the county. A list of locations is available on the Elections website clarkvotes.org. 

Ballots deposited in drop boxes by 5:30 p.m. are picked up by elections workers and brought back to the Elections Office on the same day.

Voters also can take their ballots directly to the Elections Office at 1408 Franklin St., Vancouver. The elections office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and will be open Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the Elections Office is open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

The FBI is coordinating with federal, state and local partners to actively investigate the two incidents in Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, in the early morning hours of Monday, Oct. 28, to determine who is responsible. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact the nearest FBI office, provide information through tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324).

For more information, visit clarkvotes.org.