Three people filed most of the more than 100 voter challenges in Clark County in 2023 and 2024

2022 and 2024 voter registration challenges have been on the agenda for 18th Legislative District candidate John Ley in recent months, but that’s certainly not the only voter registration challenge facing the district.

In 2023 and 2024, the district faced more than 100 records inquiries. Most were submitted by Marilyn Roggenkamp and Lauren Colas, who served as election observers. Both are residents of Camas. Vancouver resident Sharon Long also faced some challenges.

The increased distrust in the security and integrity of U.S. elections since 2020 has been felt at the local level, County Auditor Greg Kimsey said. He said it wasn’t just the election results that voters were questioning. The voter registration process and voter database have also come under criticism.

“From 1999 to the end of 2021, I think there have been less than five voter registration inquiries over that entire period,” said Kimsey.

Ley’s voter registration was successfully completed Challenged in 2022 While running for the 18th District House of Representatives seat. Ley claimed to be renting a room in the Battle Ground area for $1 a month, but his record was invalidated because he could not verify that he lived there and not at the Camas home he owned. That house isn’t in District 18, but the Battlefield address is. A court eventually ruled that Ley was ineligible to run for state legislature. He currently faces charges related to running for office and voter registration information.

After Ley filed for candidacy, his registration was challenged once again. Same seat in 2024but it was rejected by Kendiy after a hearing on October 10. Ley says he now lives in an apartment in Hazel Dell.

As with Ley challenges, it can be difficult to prove or disprove a voter’s residence, Kimsey said.

“There’s really no limit to the situations that someone who is eligible to vote in Clark County can find themselves in, but right now they’re sleeping in a different place,” Kimsey said.

Kendiy said people serving in the military, students attending college, retirees traveling abroad and people working jobs that require intensive or long travel are just a few examples of why people who appear to not live in Clark County are eligible to receive an absentee ballot. .

Voters can also maintain their residence if they are absent due to incarceration or are registered at a non-traditional address such as a shelter, park or marina.

Most voter registration challenges are ultimately rejected for lack of evidence or updating voter information or verifying address, among other reasons. But about 20 challenges were accepted and voters were deactivated in the database.

“Challenges in voter registration have definitely resulted in a more accurate voter registration database,” Kimsey said.

Objecting to a voter registration requires more than signing and submitting a form. Approximately 10 of the appeals filed in Clark County were rejected because the appellant failed to present direct evidence. Under state law, records objections must be based on the objector’s personal information, not claims by third parties.

The person objecting to voter registration must provide evidence that the voter sent a letter titled “return service requested” to all known addresses; searched local telephone directories to determine whether the voter was registered at any address in the county; searched county property records to determine whether the voter owned property in the county; and searched the statewide voter registration database to determine whether the voter was registered at another address in the state. If the voter has moved to another state, the candidate may need to search the voter registration database for that state as well.

“I encourage anyone considering applying for voter registration to become knowledgeable about the relevant laws,” Kimsey said.

For more information go to: sos.wa.gov/elections/administrators/forms-templates/voter-registration-challenges.