Vancouver school board race close in early returns 64 votes separate Zavala-Ortega, Belkot Published: August 3, 2021, 10:01pm Share: Julie Bocanegra and Mike Appel were leading in vote totals for Evergreen School District, Seat No. 1, on election night. Just 64 votes separate the top candidates vying for a seat on the Vancouver school board. Early results from Tuesday’s primary show Position 2 incumbent Sandra Zavala-Ortega neck-and-neck with challenger and political newcomer Michelle Belkot with more than 16,000 votes cast. Zavala-Ortega had 5,435 votes (33.92 percent) compared with Belkot’s 5,371 (33.52 percent). Both candidates will advance to November’s general election. Zavala-Ortega was appointed to the board in the spring, and said Tuesday night she was happy to see results in her favor.