Yelm city council election to be recounted by hand following a one-vote margin

Two candidates for Yelm City Council still don’t know the results of the Aug. 3 election.

Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall explained that there was one vote separating the during the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Elected Officials meeting yesterday.  According to state law, a manual recount is required if the difference between two candidates is less than 150 votes.

Hall shared that the two candidates Steffen Burney, and Kayla Russell are vying for Position No. 4 on the Yelm City Council. Based on the election results, Burney received 257 votes (26.0 percent), while Russell got 256 votes (25.9 percent). Whoever wins, will have to face incumbent Holly Smith, in the general elections. Overall, Smith received the highest number of votes for the position at 457 or 46.4 percent. Smith was appointed to the seat in May 2021, to complete the term of Tad Stillwell, who resigned when he moved outside of Yelm city limits.

“Hand recounts really get to showcase the accuracy of our tabulating equipment,” Hall said. However, the county auditor does not expect to see major changes in the election results, “So seldom do we have vote changes, and if we do it's a human error or somebody missing a ballot inspection.”

The recount is open to the public on Friday, August 20 at 9 a.m. Candidates are also encouraged to observe the election process.

During the meeting, Hall also announced that they have certified the results of the county’s preliminary elections on Monday, August 16.