This Thurston County election is close enough for a recount. Here’s what to know

Update: A news release from the Thurston County Auditor’s Office on Dec. 5 said: “After the machine recount, one vote originally recorded as a write-in changed to a vote for Bob Iyall.”

Jerry Toompas won with 39,296 votes, in the end. Bob Iyall trailed with 39,107.

Initial post: A machine recount is underway this week for the Port of Olympia District 2 race between incumbent Bob Iyall and challenger Jerry Toompas, the Thurston County Auditor’s Office announced.

The recount began Monday morning and a decision is expected shortly after the canvassing board meets at 3 p.m. Friday, said county elections manager Tillie Naputi-Pullar on Tuesday.

A machine recount was triggered because after the election was certified on Nov. 25, Iyall and Toompas were separated by 190 votes and .24%. A machine recount occurs if the vote difference is less than 2,000 and less than .50%, according to Auditor’s Office information.

What happens in a machine recount? They do not review every ballot — that happens in a hand recount — but check for undervotes (the voter did not select a candidate), overvotes (the voter picked both candidates) and review write-in information, said Naputi-Pullar.

Although a recount is underway, Naputi-Pullar expects the results won’t change and that Toompas, a special education teacher, will retain his lead, she said.

Incumbent Iyall appears to have come to the same conclusion. He congratulated Toompas in a recent Facebook post.

“I also want to offer my sincere congratulations to Jerry Toompas, our newly elected District #2 Commissioner,” said Iyall in his post. “I wish him well as he steps into this role, and I hope he finds the same sense of purpose and partnership that has guided my service.

“Campaigns can be challenging, and this one was no exception. There were moments when outdated or inaccurate information clouded the conversation. But I believe most people engaged in good faith, and I’m hopeful that the focus now shifts back to the real work of supporting jobs, protecting our waterfront, and planning responsibly for the future.”

Toompas, too, shared a recent message on Facebook.

“16 days after election day, with 4 lead changes, and a lot of patience, I’m humbled and grateful to say we won this election!” he said in his post. “Commissioner Iyall has conceded, and I’m excited to begin preparations to take office. I thank him for his years of service to the community and for running a friendly campaign.”

It has been a close race from the beginning.

Iyall was the early leader after the first count of ballots on election night Nov. 4, and then both candidates swapped leads during successive counts. At one point the race fell into hand recount territory and then widened again. A hand recount happens when the candidates are separated by less than 150 votes and less than one-quarter of 1%, or .0025%, Auditor’s Office information shows.

In other port races, retired Olympia School District educator Krag Unsoeld defeated Port of Olympia Citizens Advisory Committee member Anthony Hemstad for the District 3 seat, while fellow committee member Joel Hansen ran unopposed for the District 4 seat.

District 3 incumbent Amy Evans Harding and District 4 incumbent Maggie Sanders chose not to run for re-election. The District 1 and District 5 seats held by Jasmine Vasavada and Sarah Montano were not up for election.

Final District 2 vote tallies

• Jerry Toompas: 39,296 votes, or 49.9%.
• Bob Iyall: 39,106 votes, or 49.66%.
• Write-in: 350 votes.

Source: Thurston County Auditor’s Office.

This story was originally published December 3, 2025 at 5:30 AM.