Clark County ballot returns crack 80 percentFree

More than 80 percent of Clark County registered voters have submitted their ballots with hours left to vote in the general election.

The Clark County Elections Office reported an additional 30,731 returned ballots this afternoon, bringing voter turnout to 80.13 percent. Of 323,918 registered voters, 259,562 have submitted their ballots.

People were lined up around the block at the Clark County Elections Office most of Election Day. While Washington is a mail-in balloting state, the option to register and vote up to and on Election Day is still open to eligible residents.

This year’s turnout has already surpassed the 2016 general election in percentage (77.25 percent), total ballots cast (210,760) and number of registrations (272,832).

The elections office is planning to release preliminary results, which will include updated turnout figures, after 8 p.m. this evening. Those who have turned in a ballot can check its status by visiting voter.votewa.gov, logging into the voter portal with their name and birthday and clicking on the “Ballot Status” link on the far left side of the page.

Registration and voting remains open at the elections office, 1408 Franklin St. in Vancouver, through 8 p.m.