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Lakewood councilmember Linda Farmer leads race for Pierce County auditor

With current Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson reaching her term limit, three candidates have stepped forward to fill the vacant spot.

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Lakewood City Councilmember Linda Farmer is leading in the current race for Pierce County auditor with 44% of the vote. 

Challenger Deryl McCarty is trailing with 32%. 

Current Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson is reaching her term limit, as well as bidding for secretary of state, leaving the position open to a newcomer. 

The Pierce County auditor is responsible for conducting county elections, licensing services and receiving and indexing public records like deeds, mortgage documents and easements.

McCarty raised the most during the campaign, reporting $17,165 in contributions. Farmer was close behind, reporting $15,795 raised to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission. Damon Townsend trailed with $10,876. 

McCarty served as Pierce County deputy auditor and is a 30-year Air Force veteran. 

In his candidate statement, McCarty advocated for more cameras and more trained observers to watch how ballots are handled, and for audits of ballot counting machines before, during and after counting. 

Farmer is currently serving as a Lakewood City Council member. Her term began in 2020. She also served as chief communications officer for the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services. 

Farmer said she is running to continue the Pierce County auditor's legacy of fair, transparent and trustworthy elections while further reducing barriers to voting and ensuring public confidence in democracy. 

Townsend currently works as an elections consultant and previously worked as a Pierce County elections specialist and supervisor, including as interim election manager for Clallam and Cowlitz counties. 

Townsend cited his experience as an election supervisor in Pierce County where he oversaw updating the county's tabulation system, helped to develop the VoteWA registration system and implemented systems for ballot accountability. Townsend said as auditor he would work to ensure elections are accurate, secure, transparent and accessible.

    

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