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Thurston, Pierce counties to handle Yelm School District ballots; auditor outlines voting logistics
Summary
Thurston County Auditor’s office said it has an interlocal agreement with Pierce County to mail and count ballots for the Yelm Community School District election, listed drop box locations, and said the county’s ballot processing center is undergoing expansion.
Thurston County and Pierce County elections officials told the Yelm City Council on Jan. 28 that Pierce County will mail and count ballots for the upcoming Yelm Community School District election under an interlocal agreement.
Audra Mary Hall, representing the Thurston County Auditor’s Elections Division, said the office had “just broke ground on a long overdue expansion and refurbishment of our Thurston County ballot processing center” and that Pierce County would “mail and count the ballots for this election.”
The change reflects that the school district spans parts of both Thurston and Pierce counties; Hall said roughly 20,000 registered voters who live in the Yelm School District reside in Thurston County but that the seat-splitting with Pierce County is common in joint elections. Hall advised residents who receive a ballot from Pierce County to vote that ballot.
Hall gave specific logistics: military and overseas ballots went out on Jan. 10; the remainder were mailed Jan. 24. The auditor’s office included a voter pamphlet with mailed ballots. Hall listed open drop-box locations for the election in Yelm and nearby jurisdictions: Lacamus Elementary School, Nisqually [Tribal] Administration Building, Rainier City Hall, the Yelm School Administration Building and Roy City Hall in Pierce County. She said the ballot drop boxes in Yelm are open and that replacement ballots can be picked up at either Thurston County or Pierce County election offices.
Hall said the county will report election results on election night and that the ballot processing center expansion will mean the public seeking results on election night will instead go to the new voting center across the parking lot; staff will be on site and the center will be open until 8 p.m.
Councilors asked questions about security and public understanding of the district boundary. Councilmember Crossman said he was surprised how many voters do not realize parts of the Yelm School District lie in Pierce County. Councilmember Wood asked whether the county had seen vandalism in the prior election; Hall said Thurston County did not see vandalism and expressed appreciation for that outcome.
The presentation closed with the auditor inviting councilors and residents to ask follow-up questions and directing people to county election offices for assistance or replacement ballots.
