The Thurston County Auditor’s Elections Division mailed over 10,000 primary election ballots to military and overseas voters registered in Thurston County.
Ballot envelopes must be signed and dated by election day or received via email or fax by 8 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on election night, Aug. 4, a news release from the Auditor’s Office stated.
For voters not in the military or overseas, ballots will be mailed July 15.
Ballots must be postmarked by election day or received in a drop box by 8 p.m. on election night.
Military and overseas voters who have not received a ballot by Wednesday, July 8 should contact the Elections Division at 360-786-5408 or elections@co.thurston.wa.us for a replacement ballot.
In addition to the primaries for over 20 federal, state and local races, the Aug. 4 ballot in Thurston County includes three propositions by local fire districts.
The West Thurston Regional Fire District is running a maintenance and operation levy in its two service districts, Rochester and Littlerock.
If passed, the measures would allow the West Thurston Regional Fire District to levy $0.38 per $1,000 in assessed value for four years, 2027 to 2030, to maintain the fire district’s current level of emergency services.
The levy would authorize West Thurston to collect approximately $826,166 in 2027, $868,800 in 2028, $910,848 in 2029 and $956,500 in 2030.
This levy has supplemented West Thurston's regular tax levy for the last several years and is essential for West Thurston to continue operating at its current level, according to the fire district.
“The District’s current regular tax levies are insufficient to provide appropriate fire and emergency medical services to the 7,000 citizens of the Rochester-Grand Mound area,” West Thurston writes the ballot measures’ explanatory statement.
For the proposal to pass, the two separate ballot measures proposals each need to garner 60% approval. Voter turnout also needs to be at least 40% of the last election’s turnout.
The Southeast Thurston Fire Authority is also running a bond proposal on the Aug. 4 ballot.
The fire authority is asking voters to approve a $21.01 million bond to renovate and improve the Yelm, Lake Lawrence, Rainier and McIntosh Ridge fire stations, and to acquire additional firefighting and emergency response apparatus.
The measure needs 60% approval to pass, and requires a voter turnout of at least 40% of the turnout of the last election.
For more information on the ballot measures and the other races on the Aug. 4 primary ballot in Thurston County, visit https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/auditor/elections/August-2026-Primary
