A ballot moves through a sorter at the Thurston County elections office. (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard)
Yakima County had the second-lowest voter turnout of Washington state counties in the Nov. 5 general election.
The results of the Nov. 5 general election in Yakima County were officially certified by the Yakima County Canvassing Board on Tuesday. Turnout was 67.3%, with only Adams County having lower turnout at 65%, according to the Secretary of State‘s Office.
There were 89,573 total ballots counted in Yakima County in the 2024 general election, down by over 7,000 voters from the 2020 general election but up 8,000 voters from the 2016 general election.
Drop boxes were used more than the mail-in option for the first time, by about 4,000 ballots, Yakima County Elections Manager Kathy Fisher said.
Yakima County Auditor Charles Ross said that the office has a few plans related to drop boxes. A new drop box is planned to be installed in the West Valley; the drop box in Union Gap will be replaced with a larger one; and the one on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will be upgraded with a stronger box.
The Yakima County Canvassing Board consists of Yakima County Board of Commissioners Chair Amanda McKinney, Ross and Yakima County Prosecutor Joe Brusic.
Canvassing refers to the process of examining ballots and election results to determine the final results and safeguard the election process. The board oversees recounts if triggered by close margins set by state law. It also determines the validity of challenged ballots, and rejects them if they are not corrected before certification.
Terms begin in January for those elected to office.
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse of Sunnyside won re-election to his sixth term to represent the 4th Congressional District in Congress. Challenger Jerrod Sessler of Prosser said in a video to his supporters this week that he will try again. They are both Republicans. Democrat Maria Cantwell was re-elected to the U.S. Senate for the fifth time.
Republicans LaDon Linde and Kyle Curtis were both reelected to the Yakima County Commission.
Races for the state Legislature saw more competition this year after restricting, and seats representing the Yakima Valley will stay in Republican hands. In the 14th Legislative District, state Sen. Curtis King of Yakima won reelection for a fifth term. Former Grandview Mayor Gloria Mendoza and Wapato accountant Deb Manjarrez were elected to the state House.
In the 15th Legislative District, state Rep. Chris Corry of Yakima and former state Rep. Jeremie Dufault of Selah will return to Olympia.
Challenged ballots
The canvassing board reviewed the challenged ballots Monday afternoon.
Ballots are challenged for a few reasons, most commonly because a signature on the ballot envelope does not match the signature on file for the voter or is postmarked too late.
Elections officials are trained in signature verification, and have to take trainings every two years. Three elections officials review a questionable ballot before it is considered challenged.
Contacting voters to fix ballot mistakes is sometimes called “ballot curing,” and it is a normal part of the elections process.
On Nov. 7, there were 627 challenged ballots in Yakima County.
Ross said that many of the challenged ballots this year were fixed quickly because voters had their phone number on the envelopes. Elections staff also attempt to reach the voter through mail and email before the certification date.
If challenged ballots are not cured by the day before the election’s certification, they are rejected and not counted.
The number of rejected ballots was 546.
The county’s ballot rejection rate was the third lowest in the state, Ross said.
Out of that number, 201 ballots were rejected due to a signature not matching the one on file. Four ballots were signed by someone other than to whom the ballot was issued, and the signer already submitted their own ballot. One ballot was signed by a voter other than to whom the ballot was issued and the signer was registered in a different county, Fisher said.
Another 204 were rejected because they had no signature and 122 were postmarked too late.
There were 11 ballots rejected because the voter never provided an ID — not when registering, such as during a registration drive, and did not provide an ID when casting the vote, Fisher said.
What’s next?
Elections officials are already working on the next election, which will be in February. Ballot items include school levies and a sales and use tax for emergency communications systems. A recall for Mabton Mayor Rachel Ruelas could be on the ballot, if the Washington State Supreme Court allows it go through in December and enough signatures are collected in time.
This article was first published by the Yakima Herald-Republic through the Murrow News Fellow program, managed by Washington State University.