Primary Election 2020: Voters passing ECFR levy renewal, Camas Democrat is top vote-getter in state senate race

Initial results in the Aug. 4 Primary and Special Election show a Camas Democrat is the leading voter-getter for the Legislative District 18 Senate seat currently held by Republican Sen. Ann Rivers. Rick Bell, a Camas entrepreneur with experience in the health care and technology fields, has so far garnered 41.13 percent of the votes in Aug. 4 primary election. Rivers received 31.64 percent of the votes, and Republican challenger John Ley, also from Camas, was in third position with 27.14 percent of the votes, as of initial results released Tuesday. The top two vote-getters will move on to the Nov. 3 General Election. More than 31 percent of eligible Clark County voters turned in ballots for today's primary election. As of this newspaper's print deadline, the totals included about 75 percent of the total ballots. Other local race results included: East County Fire and Rescue's levy renewal East County Fire and Rescue fire district voters are giving a big thumbs up to ECFR's Proposition 4, which renews the district's emergency medical services levy and continues funding paramedic-ambulance response within the fire district. With more than 75 percent of the ballots counted, the ECFR levy renewal is passing 70-30, with 1,618 people voting "yes" on the measure and 699 voting "no." In 2014 East County Fire and Rescue voters approved a six-year EMS levy for $0.35 per $1,000 APV. That levy is set to expire at the end of 2020. Prop 4 asked voters to renew the 35-cents-per-$1,000-APV levy for another six years, beginning in 2021. The EMS levy helps the ECFR district obtain, operate and maintain emergency medical vehicles and facilities manned by properly trained emergency medical technicians and other medically trained personnel. The levy also helps fund medical supplies and medical appliances to equip those vehicles and facilities and provide the level of service deemed necessary by the ECFR Board of Commissioners. ECFR serves 10,000 people over 60 square miles in the unincorporated areas of Vancouver, Camas and Washougal. District 18, Representative Position 2 Both candidates for the position 2 seat in the state legislature representing District 18 -- incumbent Republican Rep. Larry Hoff and Democratic challenger Donna Sinclair -- will move on to the November general election. With about one-third of the ballots left to be counted, Hoff had garnered 53.73 percent of the votes while Sinclair, a Washougal School Board member, had received 46.13 percent of the votes. District 18, Representative Position 1 Both candidates for the state legislature's District 18, position 1 seat will move on to the November general election. Initial results show incumbent Republican Rep. Brandon Vick received 58 percent of the votes and Democratic challenger Kassandra Bessert garnered 42 percent. U.S. Congress, District 3 Incumbent U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, the Republican representing Washington's Third Congressional District and her Democratic challenger, Washington State University-Vancouver instructor Carolyn Long, will both move on to the general election in November. First results show Herrera Beutler receiving 54.61 percent of the votes and Long receiving 41.21 percent of the votes. Herrera Beutler had four challengers in this primary race, including Long, Democrats Devin Gray and Davy Ray, and Martin Hash, who stated no party preference. Clark County Council, Districts 3 and 4 Republican Karen Dill Bowerman, of Camas, garnered 43.08 percent of the votes in the Clark County Council, District No. 3 race, according to first results released Tuesday. Incumbent Councilor John Blom trailed his two challengers Tuesday evening, with 22.71 percent of the votes. Jesse James, a candidate who prefers the Democratic Party, received 34.01 percent of the votes. First results showed District 4 incumbent Councilor Gary Medvigy, who prefers the Republican Party, received 58.31 percent of the votes while Matt Little, who prefers the Independent Party, received 41.14 percent of the votes.

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