Here are the winners in Thurston County’s closest general election races
With only 1,000 Thurston County ballots still left to be counted, here are the candidates leading the closest general election races in Thurston County.
Thurston County Commissioner District 4: Wayne Fournier appears to be the next commissioner-elect for this seat. He is leading Vivian Eason with 50.15% of the vote to her 49.5%. They are separated by just 481 votes; 260 write-in votes were cast in the race.
Port of Olympia Commissioner District 4: Maggie Sanders is the commissioner-elect, leading Rose Chiu Gundersen with 50.3% of the vote to her 49.2%. They are separated by 823 votes; 349 write-in votes were cast in the race.
Tumwater City Council Position 7: Kelly Von Holtz is the council member-elect with 52.2% of the vote to Andrea McGhee’s 47.3%. They are separated by 292 votes; just 29 write-in votes were cast.
North Thurston Public Schools District 5: Challenger Michelle Gipson is the school board member-elect, ousting incumbent Dave Newkirk with 51.4% to his 48.2%. They are separated by 732 votes; 96 write-in votes were cast.
Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall said Monday that none of these races fall within recount range. That’s because a recount has to meet two requirements.
For a race to trigger a machine recount, the candidates have to be separated by fewer than 2,000 votes (which they are) and less than half of 1 percent, Auditor data shows. None of them meet the second criteria.
The outcome of the November general election has probably been most significantly felt on the Port of Olympia commission where three newcomers will join two incumbents with just a year of experience. Jasmine Vasavada defeated Bill McGregor, who previously served on the Port Commission for more than four terms.
Women will outnumber men on the panel for the first time in port history. The port is set to welcome Sanders, Vasavada and Sarah Tonge, who will join existing commissioners Amy Evans Harding and Bob Iyall.
Evans Harding reflected on the moment during Monday’s port commission meeting.
She invoked the memory of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was once asked when there would be enough female Supreme Court justices and she replied, ‘When there are nine.’”
The questioner scoffed at that notion and Ginsburg said, ‘”Why? There have been nine men.’”
Evans Harding said: “So, Bob (Iyall) you’re going to be in the minority here. It’s kind of exciting. It’s a new day at the Port of Olympia with four ladies.”
Complete election results can be found on the Thurston County election website.
