Thurston auditor’s office honored for using social media to reach millennials

Thurston County has been honored for using memes, social media, YouTube videos and a Seattle Seahawks Hall of Famer to increase millennial voter participation.

The Thurston County Auditor’s Office received the 2016 Secretary of State’s voter outreach award for improving voter participation and education.

“Our voter outreach efforts use technological and creative tools,” Thurston County auditor Mary Hall said in a news release. “(This is) a trend we’re seeing with our millennial voters, who are the largest voting bloc in the nation.”

The office’s campaigns have included creating educational memes, announcing election night results on Facebook, and partnering with Seattle Seahawks Hall of Famer Steve Largent.

Hall said these campaigns save taxpayers money.

“Most of our outreach efforts are free, which saves taxpayers money,” Hall said. “We’re getting a big bang for our buck on our voter outreach efforts.”

This story was originally published June 22, 2016 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Thurston auditor’s office honored for using social media to reach millennials."