Some local community members are recasting their votes after someone set fire to two ballot boxes on Monday, Oct. 28— one in Vancouver, Washington, and one in Portland, Oregon. The fire destroyed almost all the ballots in the Vancouver box. This incident directly affected many students, teachers, and alumni from Camas High School (CHS).
“I was shocked and disappointed, especially since this is my first time being able to vote,” CHS 2024 alum Maggie Lind said. Her ballot was one of those destroyed in the ballot box fire at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center.
KOIN 6 News and ABCNews both interviewed Lind to give her perspective on the issue as a new local voter. The amount of national news coverage on the issue concerns some students.
“I feel like [the national coverage] makes it so copycats might try to do it all over the country,” senior Cya Cook, one of the affected voters, said.
The Clark County auditor, Greg Kimsey, is in charge of issuing replacement ballots for those who cast their vote in the affected ballot box in Vancouver.
“This is heartbreaking. It is a direct attack on democracy,” Kimsey said. He urges young voters to not let this discourage them.
“Please vote, to show the ‘bad guys’ that they won’t stop you from exercising one of your most important constitutional rights,” Kimsey said.
With a handful of days remaining before election day, affected voters are concerned about getting their ballots in on time.
“I found out yesterday morning when I turned on the news. I was angry because I had to go to an election office and redo everything, and if it had happened any closer to the election I don’t know if I would have even been able to vote,” Cook said. “It is a threat to democracy. It’s almost a threat to those who voted.”
All of the voting-eligible CHS students and recent graduates are voting for their first time—in terms of the presidential election—which affects their first impressions of participating in American democracy.
“As a country, we’re so polarized that instead of discussing our views, we’re burning ballot boxes,” Lind said.
Even those with more voting experience are concerned about the implications of what this means for the integrity of the system.
“I think it’s horrible. It’s voting terrorism—trying to take people’s votes away,” CHS AP US Government and Politics teacher Greg Plitt said.
The implications of the ballot box burning go beyond just the voters’ need to re-vote. Cook lives near the ballot box in Vancouver, which gave them more perspective on how they responded to the issue. It was not only political but also affected people’s safety.
“It worried me because of how close I live to that ballot box. If the fire had spread, it could have affected my neighborhood,” Cook said.
The incident affected even students who cannot vote via their parents or teachers.
“My parents were frustrated that they had to vote twice; it takes time to vote,” junior Kaitlin Zeamer said.
Despite this, voters are encouraged by Clark County officials to cast or recast their ballots and make their voices heard.
