Thurston voter turnout remains low ahead of Nov. 7 election, but there’s still time
Just 14.3% of the 196,862 registered voters in Thurston County had submitted their ballots for the general election as of Thursday, according to the Auditor’s Office.
With the Nov. 7 deadline just days away, the Auditor’s Office issued a news release reminding eligible voters to cast their ballots. The election will decide who will fill positions on the Thurston County Board of Commissioners, Port of Olympia commission, city councils, school boards and more.
Notably, voters will also decide whether to approve the so-called “Public Safety Tax,” a new two-tenths of 1% sales and use tax that would primarily fund local law enforcement as well as prosecution, public defense services and election security.
Though these are impactful matters, local odd-year elections don’t typically attract as many voters as even-year, higher-profile state and national elections.
Voter turnout reached 38.2% for the 2021 general election, the last odd-numbered year election featuring local issues, according to official results from the Auditor’s Office. Comparatively, the 2022 election, when federal races were on the ballot, drew a 64.8% voter turnout.
Anyone who has not received a ballot or perhaps misplaced their ballot may request a replacement by contacting the Auditor’s Office’s Elections Division at 360-786-5408 or elections@thurston.wa.us.
Voters also can download a ballot at VoteWA.gov and visit the Voting Center at 2400 Evergreen Park Drive SW in Olympia, according to the release.
For a ballot to be counted, return envelopes must be postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 7, or deposited into one of the county’s 30 official drop boxes by 8 p.m. on election day. No stamps are needed in either case.
Locations for the drop boxes can be found on ThurstonWAVotes.gov, in the voter’s pamphlet and in the ballot packet.
Citizens also can visit the Thurston County Auditor’s Election Office to register to vote, update their current registration, obtain a ballot or use a voting assistance device.
The Election Office is at 2400 Evergreen Park Drive SW near the county’s courthouse campus. The office is typically open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, but it will be open until 8 p.m. on election day.
Another voting center can be found at the Lacey Timberland Library at 500 College St. SE. This center will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, except on a election day when it will open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m..
Additional voter services may be accessed at the Olympia, Tenino, Tumwater and Yelm Timberland Library locations and at the Evergreen State College Student Engagement HUB at 2700 McCann Plaza Drive NW. All will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, except on a election day when they will open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m..
This story was originally published November 5, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
