Do ballot box incidents expose ballot security failures in Clark County?

Concerns about ballot security in Clark County rise after recent incidents. Photo by Andi Schwartz

ReformClarkCounty.com Founder Rob Anderson claims Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey opposed measures to improve election security by requiring HD cameras at all ballot drop boxes

Ken Vance, editor
Clark County Today

Concerns continue to be raised after the loss of hundreds of Nov. 5 general election ballots in the burning of the ballot drop box located at the Fisher’s Landing C-TRAN Transit Center in east Vancouver. Monday’s incident was the second in Clark County, following another on Oct. 8 in downtown Vancouver.

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.

It remains to be seen if those efforts will prevent additional incidents prior to Tuesday’s election.

Rob Anderson, Reform Clark County — ReformClarkCounty.com Founder Rob Anderson

Earlier this year, ReformClarkCounty.com Founder Rob Anderson was unsuccessful in his effort to get his Restore Election Confidence initiative on the November ballot. Anderson believes that the recent ballot box incidents in Clark County are additional evidence that election reforms are needed.

“Earlier this year, Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey actively opposed measures to improve election security by requiring HD cameras at all ballot drop boxes,’’ Anderson told Clark County Today. “In a May 2024 newspaper commentary, he dismissed the need for surveillance, asserting that, ‘People respect the elections process, and over the past 20 years, there has not been a single incident of significant vandalism to Clark County’s ballot drop boxes.’ Since his statement, however, Clark County has experienced two serious arson attacks on ballot boxes, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of ballots — the first occurring on Oct. 8, only blocks from the Elections Office.’’

Anderson pointed out that without any surveillance footage, there is no visual evidence, leaving the earlier case unsolved.

“By contrast, Multnomah County, where ballot boxes are monitored by cameras, swiftly used the footage to identify a potential vehicle match within hours of the Clark County incident,’’ Anderson stated. “Kimsey’s reluctance to adopt straightforward security measures — measures backed by citizens advocating for the Restore Election Confidence (REC) initiative — underscores a significant lapse in prioritizing election integrity.

“Rather than support such reforms, Kimsey not only ignored these concerns but actively opposed them, all while creating and promoting a charter amendment (No. 18) that could further limit citizen influence over efforts like the REC initiative in the future. This amendment would expand the prosecuting attorney’s power to screen initiatives, mandating financial estimates and legal opinions on ballots — neither of which can be appealed — potentially swaying voter perception. Kimsey justified the amendment by citing the REC initiative as a reason for its necessity, raising serious concerns about transparency and oversight in Clark County, especially given that no citizen-led full initiative has yet succeeded under the county’s already stringent requirements.’’

Anderson also expressed concerns about a recent $4.7-million remodel of the Clark County Elections Department, which failed to allocate funds for ballot box surveillance.

“Let’s not forget that, while in the midst of a $4.7 million Elections Department remodel, Kimsey also failed to allocate funds for ballot box surveillance, leaving Clark County’s election security among the weakest of the state’s larger counties,’’ Anderson said. “Other counties, including King County, have cameras at ballot boxes, underscoring Clark County’s relative vulnerability. Moreover, Kimsey’s oversight extended to neglecting basic safeguards, such as maintaining functioning fire suppression systems at ballot drop boxes.

“Local officials have an obligation to ensure secure and transparent elections,’’ Anderson added. “Auditor Kimsey’s consistent resistance to enacting reasonable security measures has weakened public trust, highlighting an ongoing lack of leadership in protecting ballot integrity. In light of these events, the County Council should take immediate steps to address these security lapses and ensure stronger protections for our elections.’’

Anderson added that on Monday Kimsey said, “This action is an attack on American democracy.”

“That is true,’’ Anderson said. “However, it’s an attack many saw coming, and his failure to act and prepare for it should not be overlooked.’’

Kimsey on Lars Larson Show

Kimsey did not respond to a Clark County Today request for more information. Kimsey did make an appearance on the (radio) Lars Larson Show Tuesday. Larson asked Kimsey about the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency recommendation that all ballot boxes be equipped with surveillance cameras and why Clark County has not followed that recommendation.

“We have considered that in the past,’’ Kimsey said, “Quite frankly, the cost of that was a major consideration. Also, as we’ve seen, the presence of cameras did not prevent damage to these ballot drop boxes. Now, of course, it does provide law enforcement information that they can use to investigate. That factor has certainly become more apparent to us as we’ve gone through this event.’’

Larson then asked Kimsey what it would have cost to provide cameras for each of the county’s 22 ballot boxes.

“Our information technology group reached out to the people who provide cameras, here on the (county) campus,’’ Kimsey said. “And there they take a look at our locations of the ballot drop boxes, the existing kind of infrastructure, if you will, around those old drop boxes. And they came back with an estimate about a little over $900,000 to install those. So it’s not quite as simple as, you know, going to Home Depot and buying a $300 camera and a poll and sticking it up.’’

Larson, a Vancouver resident, expressed his shock that the estimate was approximately $40,000 per site to provide video surveillance.

Kimsey pointed out that the county was spending about $75,000 to provide 24-hour staffers to monitor each of the boxes through Tuesday’s election.