Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders took 68.7% of the vote in early returns Tuesday, Nov. 3, far outpacing challenger Kevin Burton-Crow.

Sanders, an independent, collected 44,164 votes to Burton-Crow's 19,967, according to tallies released by the Thurston County Auditor's Office, as first reported by The Olympian. Burton-Crow, a Democrat, trailed with 31%.

The margin was wide. But many ballots remain uncounted.

The results did not include any ballots collected on Election Day. The Auditor's Office did not schedule ballot processing for Nov. 3, according to a posted schedule.

Sanders learned of his early lead at an election night party at the Hangar 51 Event Center in Tumwater. He called the results a "great victory" in a phone call with The Olympian.

"I'm ready to serve for another four years," Sanders said. "I am extremely proud of the Sheriff's Office and I believe Thurston County voters got it right."

Sanders said he looks forward to watching the Sheriff's Office grow during his second term.

What the office oversees

The Thurston County Sheriff's Office polices unincorporated areas of the county and operates a jail in Tumwater with a total annual budget of about $68 million. Since starting his first term in 2023, Sanders has overseen a growing department with dozens more deputies and a new headquarters in Tumwater, The Olympian reported. A voter-approved public safety sales tax that Sanders backed in his first year in office funded that growth.

Sanders, who became Thurston County's 24th sheriff after winning election in 2022, ran on a platform of improving employee morale, greater transparency and technology-based solutions, according to the county sheriff's office website.

The challenger

Burton-Crow is an Army veteran who works as a special victims detective under Sanders. He also serves as president of the Thurston County Deputy Sheriff's Association, the union representing about 135 members across patrol and support functions.

In his voter pamphlet statement, Burton-Crow called for outside accreditation, greater budget and policy transparency, and improved training with victim-centered approaches and harm reduction strategies, The Olympian reported.

Burton-Crow answered a phone call on election night but hung up after saying he had poor signal. The Olympian reported it had asked him to comment on the preliminary returns.

Votes still to count

Voter turnout stood at about 31% of 214,940 registered voters as of the first release. Thurston County will post updated results daily until it certifies the results on Nov. 24. The Washington Secretary of State will then certify results by Dec. 3.

If the lead holds, Sanders will serve a second four-year term starting in 2027.