Early results showed Vivian Eason and Emily Clouse leading in two races for new seats on the Thurston County Board of Commissioners Tuesday night.
Eason, an independent, led Wayne Fournier, a Democrat, by more than 800 votes in the race for District 4, according to results released by the county Auditor Tuesday night.
In the District 5 race, voters were more clearly leaning in favor of electing Clouse, a Democrat, over Terry S. Ballard, who registered without a party preference.
Whoever wins each race will join Carolina Mejia and Tye Menser, both Democrats, as well as Gary Edwards, an independent, on the Board of County Commissioners next year.
The county created the two new positions last year after voters approved a measure to expand the board from three to five members. The commissioners moved to expand the board after the county population surpassed 300,000.
The latest update from the county Auditor's Office indicated voter turnout was at about 20.9% of 196,717 registered voters. However, there were still many votes left to be counted. Ballots needed only to be dropped off or postmarked as of Nov. 7.
Auditor Mary Hall told The Olympian the election was going "very well" Tuesday night. She said ballots were slow to come in but many came in drop boxes Tuesday. She predicted turnout may reach about 37%.
"It's hard to predict right now because we don't know how many late ballots are going to come in from the drop boxes," Hall said. "We have about 15,000 ballots in house right now that are left to count. So, we've got a long way to go."
In 2021, the most recent odd-number election year, turnout reached 38.2%, according to final certified results. Comparatively, the 2022 election, when federal races were on the ballot, drew a 64.8% voter turnout.
Thurston County will post updated results daily until the county certifies the results on Nov. 28. The Washington Secretary of State will then certify the results by Dec. 7.
"Nothing is official until we certify the election," Hall said. "If there's a really tight margin, it's not uncommon for the race to flip. Just because they're ahead tonight in these close races, doesn't mean they'll be ahead tomorrow."
District 4
In the District 4 race, Eason led with 19,905 (50.9%) votes as of Tuesday night. Fournier, a Democrat, had 19,078 (48.8%) votes.
When reached for comment, Eason said she felt excited by the results and appreciative of her supporters during the campaign.
"We've done a grassroots campaign to get out the vote," Eason said. "The citizens are just ready for a change in south county."
She said she has full trust in the county election system and she hopes to maintain her lead in the days to come.
Eason is a veteran who previously worked for Thurston County Emergency Management and the Sheriff's Office, according to her website. She has focused on public safety concerns as well as easing taxes and other costs for families and retirees.
In 2022, she ran for county commissioner Position 3 as a Republican but was defeated by Menser. In August, she told The Olympian that being an independent is closer to her true self.
Fournier said he knew it would be a tight race and he's hopeful the tally can swing in his favor as more ballots are counted.
"A big thank you to everybody that's been supporting the campaign throughout the year," Fournier said. "We're happy with the way things are, we knew they were going to be tight and we're hopeful that we come out with a win."
Fournier has been Mayor of Tenino since 2016. If elected, he said he'll improve public safety, promote sustainable economic growth and support environmental and public health protections, according to his statement in the voter guide.
Fournier lost to Eason in the August primary, ending that race with 5,073 votes while Eason had 7,059 votes, the official final results show.
However, in the primary, only voters who live in District 4 could vote in that race. In the general election, voters countywide cast ballots in all the races.
District 4 covers southwest Thurston County including south Tumwater and the cities of Tenino, Bucoda and Rainier.
District 5
The election tally for Thurston County Commissioner District 5 showed Clouse with 23,095 (58.8%) votes as of Tuesday night. Ballard had 16,065 (40.9%) votes.
Clouse told The Olympian she is excited by the early results and she's confident in her lead at this point.
"I feel really good," Clouse said. "It's an experience I've never had before and I'm extremely grateful for everybody who has supported me and believed in me along the way."
She said she wants more people like her, those who might not look like a typical politician or might not have political experience, to step into local leadership rather than "align with the status quo."
"We can make the community what we believe it can be, and I hope that my race is a prime example of that," Clouse said.
Clouse, a veteran with a human services background, has pledged to focus on the county's affordable housing crisis, protecting the environment, law enforcement accountability and more.
Ballard is a veteran who frequently comments at county board meetings. He's advocated for veterans, criticized the county's facility planning and called for a tough approach to crime and homelessness.
He did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Olympian.
Clouse's early lead resembles her strong showing in the August primary. That race ended with 4,938 votes for Clouse and 2,469 votes for Ballard.
District 5 encompasses an area south of Lacey and extends north between Olympia and Lacey towards Johnson Point.