Thurston County to add new voting precincts in response to growing population 

The Thurston County Auditor’s Office is set to increase the county’s voting precincts to 294 from 287 in response to sustained population growth and municipal annexations.  

The adjustments are outlined in the 2025 Precinct Maintenance Plan, which was detailed during the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) work session on Wednesday, Feb. 12. 

According to the officials, the proposed changes will affect approximately 5,235 registered voters. The changes are expected to be finalized after a public hearing on Tuesday, April 15. 

Under the proposed plan, county officials say seven precincts will be divided in compliance with the state-mandated 1,500-voter limit per precinct. 

The increasing number of voters in many areas, particularly Lacey and Yelm, has necessitated the division of multiple precincts to secure a more balanced electoral system. 

“This is an exercise that we do every year because of city annexations, but mainly because Thurston County is growing so much,” Auditor Mary Hall said. 

She added, “Currently, we have 287 precincts, but by the time we make these changes, we’re going to gain seven and a couple due to annexations.” 

Precinct changes and realignments 

Seven precincts will be split, with some areas creating entirely new voting districts. The changes aim to maintain the 1,500-voter cap, while improving the efficiency of election administration. 

The affected precincts include: 

• Forest will be split along 25th Avenue SE, creating Forest North (784 voters) and Forest South (623 voters). 

• McIntosh, which spans six jurisdictional divisions, will be reorganized into McIntosh East (756 voters) and McIntosh West (692 voters). 

• Sunwood Lakes, Beaver Creek, Lacey 24, Yelm 3 and Yelm 4 will also be divided to better distribute voter populations. 

Additionally, the Tolmie precinct will be retired due to annexations and voters will be reassigned to Lacey 60, a newly established precinct. 

Other boundary adjustments will impact Lacey 53 and Lacey 55, though some of those annexed areas currently have few or no voters. 

“The new voter total of Lacey 53 gains 14 voters,” Lead Elections Technician Lynne Watanabe said. 

Watanabe also said, “The new voter total of Lacey 55 is 1,086. The new voter total of Lacey 60 is nine.” 

City annexations, county commissioner districts 

A map shows precinct boundary adjustments in Thurston County, as part of the 2025 Precinct Maintenance Plan following annexations in Lacey. 

Photo courtesy of Thurston County Auditor’s Office Election Division

The City of Lacey’s annexations impacted the precinct modifications, with five separate annexations leading to shifts affecting 346 voters. 

The absorbed areas include Draham Road and Cuoio Park North, where existing precinct lines are redrawn to reflect the new municipal boundaries. 

The county is also renaming four precincts to reflect revised geographic configurations: 

• Forest to Forest South 

• McIntosh to McIntosh East 

• Sunwood Lakes to Sunwood Lakes South 

• Beaver Creek to Beaver Creek South 

In addition, nine precinct boundary adjustments will be made to simplify district lines and reduce administrative complexity. 

“So, if we have an opportunity to make (precincts) follow logical streets, we’ll do that. It just makes it easier for PCOs to know and walk their precincts,” Hall explained. 

The county commissioner district boundaries will remain unchanged, but legal descriptions are being updated to reflect the new precinct alignments. 

The modifications include: 

• Commissioner District No. 2 will gain four new precincts and lose one. 

• Commissioner District No. 4 will add three new precincts and rename three others. 

• Commissioner District No. 5 will see one new precinct added and another renamed. 

2025 Precinct Maintenance Plan timeline 

The auditor’s office has set a tentative timeline for public engagement and final approval of the changes: 

• Tuesday, March 18: The BoCC will meet to set the public hearing date and publish the revised precinct map. 

• Tuesday, April 15: A public hearing will be held to review and approve the precinct changes. (Tuesday, April 29: An alternative session will be held if additional review is needed.) 

• Monday, April 28: The changes will be formally integrated into VoteWA, Washington’s voter registration system. 

“This is one way to watch growth,” said BoCC Commissioner Rachel Grant, who acknowledged the ongoing expansion of Thurston County. 

Grant added, “It also means that more people are voting, or that could be … more people being engaged.”