Vancouver, WA ‒ Each year, the Clark County Auditor’s Office publishes a local voters’ pamphlet for the primary election and mails it to all households in Clark County. It includes statements by and photographs of candidates for elective offices as well as local ballot measures with supporting and opposing statements written by citizens.

A legislative body placing a measure on the ballot can appoint a committee to write a supporting statement and another committee to write an opposing statement. But often, Elections receives only a supporting argument for a local ballot measure. If the group cannot identify anyone to oppose the ballot measure, no opposing statement is written or submitted.

If Elections does not receive a supporting or opposing statement for a local ballot measure, the staff attempts to identify citizens interested in authoring such a statement.

For the 2016 primary, Elections has received: a ballot proposition from Clark County Fire Protection District No. 2 proposing a merger with Clark County Fire & Rescue; a proposition from Clark County Fire Protection District No. 3 for a levy lid lift; and an EMS tax levy continuation from Clark County Fire Protection District No. 6. Committees have been appointed to write statements supporting the three measures, but the fire districts have not been able to identify people to write statements against the measures.

Any county resident who wants to write an opposing statement to one of these measures is asked to contact Cathie Garber of the Clark County Elections Department at (360) 397-2345. Please call soon; the deadline is 4 p.m. Monday, May 16.

“The public is best served by having a local voters’ pamphlet which presents a fair and balanced debate on the merits of local measures submitted for a vote,” said Auditor Greg Kimsey. “We urge anyone interested to help us get their opposing statements to these local measures into the local voters’ pamphlet."

CONTACT
Cathie Garber
Elections Director
Elections Office
(360) 397-2345
elections@clark.wa.gov