Large field in Tuesday primary; how many voters will turn out?
Dozens of candidates hope to advance to November general election.
EPHRATA — August elections have traditionally seen limited voter turnout, both locally and statewide. But there’s a lot riding on the outcome of this Tuesday’s Aug. 4 primary for over two dozen candidates seeking public office in Grant County and central Washington’s state legislative and congressional districts.
Voters will also consider four statewide races for seats on the Washington Supreme Court.
In the past two “even-year” primary elections, only about one in three registered voters within the county bothered to return ballots — just 35.5% in 2024, a drop from 38.9% in 2022.
Will such apathy continue this year? To be determined.
Primary ballots were mailed out in mid-July to Grant County’s nearly 53,000 registered voters. To be counted, ballots must be postmarked, placed in designated dropboxes, or returned to the courthouse elections department in Ephrata by 8 p.m. Tuesday. Results will be certified by Aug. 18.
The outcomes will narrow the field of candidates who advance to the Nov. 3 general election to two.
A variety of information is available online from the Grant County elections department, the Washington Secretary of State’s office, and VoteWA.gov.
Those sources include web versions of the primary voters’ pamphlet, sample ballots, drop box locations, voter registration, livestreaming of ballot processing, ballot status and return statistics, and more.
Eligible, unregistered persons who would like to cast a primary ballot can sign up in person until 8 p.m. Tuesday at the courthouse in Ephrata — but it’s highly advisable to do so well before that deadline.
In Grant County, voters will decide primary challenges for:
— County auditor between Darci Homesley and Andrew Koeppen, both of Moses Lake, and Shannon Falstad of Ephrata, who currently serves in the position as the interim appointee following the retirement of incumbent Michele Jaderlund in June. All three are Republicans.
— District 3 county commissioner between four GOP candidates: Shannon Durfee of Quincy, Janice Flynn of Royal City, Kelly Raap of rural Ephrata, and Seth Weeks of Mattawa. They are hoping to succeed incumbent Cindy Carter of Royal City, who is retiring when her current term ends Dec. 31. Only voters within the Third District — largely the southwest portion of the county — see this race on their ballots. The position will be voted on countywide in the general election.
— County sheriff between incumbent Joey Kriete of Moses Lake, seeking re-election to a second four-year term, and challengers Darrik Gregg of Moses Lake and Josh Sainsbury of Ephrata. Again, all Republicans.
— Superior Court judge, Position 3, between challengers Trevor Bevier of Soap Lake and Ken Chadwick of Moses Lake against interim incumbent Jennifer Richardson, who was appointed to the bench in January by Gov. Bob Ferguson. The eventual winner will serve a two-year unexpired term beginning in 2027. The position is nonpartisan.
Most Grant County voters will also cast ballots in the primary for contested races in the state legislature’s 13th District and in the U.S. 4th Congressional District.
Three GOP legislative candidates – Deanna Martinez and Don Myers, both of Moses Lake, and Joshua Thompson of Ellensburg – are vying for the 13th District Position 2 seat currently held by state Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy. Ybarra is vacating his spot in the House and running for the state Senate post held by retiring incumbent Judy Warnick of Moses Lake.
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, is also retiring when his current two-year term ends in December. With his pending departure, there are 11 candidates looking to represent central Washington’s largely conservative 4th Congressional District, which sprawls between the borders of Oregon and Canada.
The large field includes Republicans Matt Boehnke of Kennewick, John Hughes of Lind, Amanda McKinney of Yakima, Jerrod Sessler of Prosser, Elpidia Saavedra of Toppenish, and Ken Vaz of Seattle; Democrat John Duresky of West Richland; Independents Jacek “Jack” Kobiesa of Pasco, Zac Rossi of West Richland, and Favian Valencia of Yakima; and Devin Poore of Malaga, aligned with the Cascade Party, a minor third party intending to provide an alternative slate to the two major political parties.
There is also one local money measure on the primary ballot for voters within Grant County Public Hospital District No. 5, which operates the Mattawa Community Medical Clinic. The district is seeking approval of a “levy lid lift” proposition that would set a tax collection rate of 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation in 2027, authority to increase levy rates up to 6% through 2035, and use that 2035 levy amount for computing levies in subsequent years.
