VANCOUVER, Wash. - In the race for Clark County auditor, a seasoned Southwest Washington politician has built much of her campaign on questioning the integrity of the office she hopes to lead, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Eileen Quiring O'Brien, a former Republican Oregon lawmaker and former Clark County councilor, faces Mitchell Kelly, a longtime auditor's office employee, in the nonpartisan November contest. The winner will oversee a range of government functions, from auditing county departments and issuing marriage licenses to administering local elections.
Kelly has pitched voters on continuity, promising to shore up public trust in election security measures already in place. Quiring O'Brien has repeatedly taken aim at the status quo, releasing a steady stream of YouTube videos over four months casting doubt on the auditor's office. In one, she accused the current auditor of "security theater" in working with the state on election integrity, and she has accused Kelly of "weaponized bureaucracy" for writing fiscal impact statements about proposed county charter amendments involving elections.
At a July editorial forum hosted by The Columbian, Quiring O'Brien answered "I'd have to think about that" when asked whether she would change how the county issues marriage licenses to LGBTQ couples, despite the U.S. Supreme Court settling the issue in 2015, before saying minutes later that she would follow the law, OPB reported.
Two weeks before the election, Quiring O'Brien filed an ethics complaint with the county arguing that Auditor Greg Kimsey, who announced his retirement in January after 28 years running county elections, should not oversee the local midterms because he endorsed her opponent. A county spokesperson said the complaint will be reviewed to determine whether it constitutes a violation of county policy or state law.
Local observers say the race carries outsized significance. Temple Lentz, who served on the county council with Quiring O'Brien, told OPB the auditor's race is the most important race in Clark County right now, with national challenges to mail-in voting and a toss-up congressional race as the backdrop. Quiring O'Brien has promised an independent third-party audit of the office if elected, calling it an opportunity for fresh oversight after nearly three decades under the same elected leadership. Kelly, who spent a decade on the county's financial management team and previously audited local governments across Southwest Washington for the state, describes himself as a reluctant politician who entered the race to serve the community where he grew up.