Pierce County election worker Buck Buchanan’s work mantra is simple and clear: “One is none; two is one.”
That pretty much sums up the entire election process in Pierce County, where the integrity of every ballot and every vote hinges on checks and balances.
“I can’t do anything without having a second body,” said Buchanan, now in his sixth year working elections for the county. “We work as two, but we’re one.”
KP News got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at election operations during a ride-along with Pierce County Auditor Linda Farmer, Buchanan and fellow election worker Skylar Cole Aug. 5, the day before the Primary Election. It offered a window into the rigorous steps Pierce County Elections take to make every vote count.
That day’s route started at the Pierce County Election Center at 7:32 a.m. with stops at 10 of the county’s 51 ballot boxes during the four-hour round trip, including all four on or near the Key Peninsula.
During the drive, Farmer admitted that before she was elected to her position in 2022 she always trusted the voting process, but didn’t know quite why. “Now I know,” said Farmer, who also serves as the county’s election administrator. “I’m so impressed with how methodical our election process is to maintain integrity.”
The day is a tight weave of mutual oversight. Throughout the route, Buchanan and Cole follow protocol, ensuring that each step, like confirming seal codes, securing ballot containers and managing locks, is followed to the letter.
“I watch her, she watches me: it’s all about us as one,” Buchanan said. They both have to sign multiple attestation forms at each location and upload pictures to an app of the sealed ballot box and containers at each location. “I’m never alone with a ballot.”
Each stop takes between four and eight minutes, with ballots collected every 24 to 48 hours. While at a box, Buchanan and Cole are happy when onlookers get to witness the democratic process firsthand.
“This is the best assurance I’ve had that my vote is going to count,” one voter said as he handed his ballot to Cole while she and Buchanan were emptying the West Pierce Fire & Rescue location ballot box.
Ballot boxes across Pierce County are designed with security in mind. The boxes are double-locked, heavy-metal beasts, strategically placed to maximize accessibility and prevent tampering. Farmer said the goal is for everyone to live within 2 1⁄2 miles of a drop box, with plans to soon expand from 51 to 60 locations.
When asked if Longbranch would be considered for a ballot box since most of the residents there live more than 2 1⁄2 miles away from the Home Park box, Farmer said they would take it into consideration. Ballot boxes are typically placed at well-lit locations, such as Park N’ Rides, parking lots, city halls and libraries, that have 24/7 access and are ADA accessible. Not many, if any, Longbranch locations fit that bill.
The route ended back at the election center at 11:46 a.m. Buchanan and Cole handed off the sealed containers to another set of election workers, with every step documented to maintain a clear chain of custody.
Ballots go through three main steps: processing, scanning and tabulation, with the first two steps often done the same day. Tabulation, though, doesn’t start until after 8 p.m. on election night. Within 12 minutes of arriving at the election center, ballots were already getting processed, and by 3 p.m. validated ballots were scanned into a secure, encrypted machine, designed to ensure accuracy and confidentiality. Pierce County Elections can track how many ballots they have each day, but even they can’t see vote totals until election night.
For a vote to be tabulated and counted on election night, it’s best to have it in a ballot box by 7:30 a.m. that day. Ballots collected later on Election Day aren’t counted until the next day, which according to Farmer, is about 50% of the total votes.
In the August Primary Election, Pierce County saw varied voter engagement. The Key Peninsula, with 13,769 registered voters, had a 47.6% turnout, which was notably higher than the county average of 38.25%. This performance is reflective of broader trends, where primary elections typically experience lower turnout, partly due to their timing in the summer.
“But Primary Elections are just incredibly important. The dwindling down of who makes it to the general election — that’s power right there,” Farmer stated. “With lower voter turnout, your vote really counts.”
For the upcoming Nov. 5 election, expectations are set for a turnout exceeding 50% countywide. The 2020 Presidential Election had an impressive 82.3% turnout for the county. Pierce County has historically ranked low in voter turnout, but efforts are underway to improve these figures through increased voter education and outreach initiatives.
Earlier this year Farmer converted a customer service representative position into a voter education and outreach position to help residents understand what they do and don’t have to do when it comes to voting. Looking ahead, plans include expanding the election center to accommodate growth. A self-guided tour is in development, and she wants to expand the observation corridor to allow the public even better access to witness the election process firsthand.
Farmer said the upcoming Presidential Election is their “Super Bowl” and they use all four years in between to get ready. But this year they’re also making other preparations. Recent events have heightened security, including an incident last November where Pierce and several other county election centers received an unidentified white powder. In response, Pierce County has added an off-duty sheriff ’s deputy to the ballot processing center and is engaged in comprehensive emergency planning with the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management.
Farmer said if there’s a silver lining to dissent in the country right now, it’s that it’s elevating the role of democracy. “Honestly, elections have been a typical, fairly boring government operation. Suddenly (they) started to get a lot of attention. I’m hoping it will get more people out to see what we do to underscore the security of it all, the trust- worthiness of it all. And hopefully, it’ll encourage more people to participate.”
Ballot boxes will be open beginning Oct. 18, around the same time voters should be getting their ballots in the mail. Ballot boxes are open 24/7 until 8 p.m. on Election Night.
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