Did you know? Thurston County held primary elections on August 1st.
It's a fact of which most Thurston County residents were unaware or simply didn't care. For most registered voters, elections come every two years with all the glitz and glamor of television ads, unsolicited text messages, and mail. Lots of mail.
It isn't a rumor, it's true - there are elections in the odd years also.
It's an odd thing about these odd years: Voters don't turn out. Odd-year elections are dominated by positions at the local level of government. These elections are the most impactful to the daily lives of citizens. Yet participation in these local races dwindles compared to elections in even years. How odd.
The odd-year races may not be as sexy or exciting as their even-year counterparts, but these positions affect children's education, land-use issues, and city management. Even-year races could be seen as posh affairs, where tickets can blow past $100 for a meager plate and an opportunity to see a candidate. The odd years are filled with free potlucks and eager handshakes with candidates you can find at the local grocery store.
This odd-year election is more odd this year, which adds to the potential attraction of lurking voters. In 2022, Thurston County voters chose to expand both the Thurston County Commission and the Port of Olympia Commission. This November, you'll see two Thurston County Commissioner positions and three Olympia Port Commissioner positions on your ballot.
But the chatter on the local community apps and message boards is all about the School Board positions up for election. There's a spotlight nationwide on K-12 education curriculum and culture. This year many flashpoints of the culture war have centered around school boards and K-12 education. But did this hot topic on social threads motivate voters into action?
No, even those hot topics didn't motivate most voters to participate in what might be the United States' lowest-barrier election. Odd-year primary elections have followed a narrow band of turnout so far this century. This year did not see a spike in participation.
Mary Hall, the Thurston County Auditor, believes the community and media are the key to expanding voter participation in these odd year elections. She told me:
"It seems clear that voter turnout dips in odd-year local elections because voters do not feel as informed as they want to be to make clear choices. This is exactly why the Thurston County Auditor's Office has produced a local voters' pamphlet, even when we weren't required to. This is also a testament to the importance of local media and the need for active, informed voters to encourage their friends and neighbors to vote."
Thurston County is not unique in its low odd-year voter turnout. This isn't a Thurston County issue, it is a statewide issue. The state voter turnout consistently matches within a couple percentage points of the county election turnout. There is logical evidence for Auditor Hall's point about the information gap between the even- and odd-year elections. Even-year elections barrage the voter's senses with advertisements and big media coverage. The odd-year elections require more effort from the voter to receive information.
The County Auditor's Office is trying to increase election engagement. "For voter outreach, we table at in-person events throughout the summer and encourage voting through paid advertising,” Hall said, adding, “for example, this fall we are partnering with the Timberland Regional Library on a campaign encouraging active voters to urge their friends and neighbors to vote.”
The odd year will always be the ugly duckling to the even year golden goose. Our history in Thurston County shows the passion in turnout is reserved for even-year elections. Auditor Hall believes that the 58,000 voters who delivered a ballot on August 1st have the power to move the turnout needle in a positive direction by calling or texting a friend to ask them if they voted. The slightest encouragement from a large group of people might make a difference.
The odd-year general election is just around the corner in November. Grab a friend and attend one of those free events to get to know a candidate. The JOLT’s Calendar is an excellent source for events featuring local candidates. The last odd-year general election, in 2021, had a 38.2% voter turnout. Will a majority of Thurston County registered voters show up this year for the local election oddity? Perhaps you have a part to play.
Jay Fratt is an Olympia-based writer and entrepreneur.
The opinions expressed above are those of the writer and not necessarily those of The JOLT's staff or board of directors. Got something to say about a topic of interest to Thurston County residents? Send it to us and we’ll most likely publish it. See the Contribute your news button at the top of every page.
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BobJacobs
It should be noted that "turnout" is the percentage of registered voters who vote.
This is greatly inflated. We should be looking at the percentage of people eligible to vote. That is, include those who don't even register though they can legally do so.
This percentage is far lower than the "turnout" number that is published.
Granted, it is less precise because the number of people eligible to vote would have to be estimated. But an estimated number would be way better than completely ignoring these people.
Bob Jacobs
Saturday, August 5, 2023 Report this
KellyOReilly
Voter apathy is an old problem which has long saddened me. Voter participation matters! I've always considered voting in ALL elections a civic duty and I think I've only missed voting once over the past 40 years. Even when I was working two jobs/seven days a week, I found time to read the voter pamphlet and vote. I agree with this article that local elections probably have a greater effect on our day-to-day lives. Voting is so important to our democracy and failing to vote is just plan lazy.
Saturday, August 5, 2023 Report this
ejpoleii
The low turnout in the TC primary elections were caused, mostly, by the lack of any meaning in them. I had a seriously bad back issue but would have voted if I thought it would have any affect. Top Two is a great system but what's the point when only two are on the ballot or the choices are meaningless? I researched the candidates and none of them showed any real policy differences or addressed any actual solutions. I'm definitely voting in November even if I have to crawl to the ballot box.
I would even run for something myself but NO ONE IN THEIR 70'S should run for office. Yes, that IS a commentary.
Saturday, August 5, 2023 Report this
KerriG
I voted.
Saturday, August 5, 2023 Report this
MaxiDu
It sure was hard to find any info on the school board candidates other than the voter's guide. I ended up writing to them myself (emails). One never answered; one answered thoroughly, one had dropped out but we never heard that. Thanks to various groups, such as Olympia Indivisible, for interviewing candidates for other positions. JOLT and The ; why so little (or no) coverage on the school board? The Olympia, I pay you for news, but seems to be mostly bogus ads and a search engine that doesn't lead to anything.
Saturday, August 5, 2023 Report this
Theolympians
I too think voting is your civic duty. Maxidu- I agree that it's hard to find true information on many folks and certainly none on the school board. The school board is supposed to be neutral and not supported by either political party. When you see one party "recommending" board members, that makes me suspicious that the board members ARE NOT NEUTRAL. I starting going to school board meetings last year and let me tell you, IT WAS EYE OPENING. They are a bit of an odd bunch and don't seem to know what they're doing...sort of bumbling and crying their way through it. I have never seen so many tears, yes literal tears, from elected folks who seem to take offense to every critique. It's ridiculous. Maybe if they started doing their jobs and not pussyfooting around really important topics like EDUCATION, TESTING, FUNDING (that has dropped down the toilet btw), etc.... instead of fully focused on inclusivity, and well...I'm not sure if there is anything else. That seems to be it. Did you know that they are afraid that saying "students grades k-12" is not inclusive? Yes that's right folks. They have gone on record saying that. That is what your school board is concerned about.
Sunday, August 6, 2023 Report this
Yeti1981
Voter apathy is caused by a lack of stellar candidates. For folks looking for change, they didn't really have a clear option this year. For folks happy with the way things are, they have the same old choices. People are busy trying to survive. They don't have time to seek out candidates who don't make the effort to reach them. This year, the amount of candidates who actually put in the work to be recognized can be counted on one hand.
Monday, August 7, 2023 Report this
pbaron1902
Think maybe Theolympians has a good point in suggesting that folks go to the school board meetings. It's hard to be critical if we don't even know what they spend their time doing, promoting, etc. Same with Port meetings, city council meetings, etc.
Monday, August 7, 2023 Report this