LOCAL NEWS
Thurston County candidate who didn't vote for himself loses by 1 vote
Author: Drew Mikkelsen
Published: 6:02 PM PST December 1, 2023
Updated: 6:02 PM PST December 1, 2023
THURSTON COUNTY, Wash — Following a hand recount, voters in Rainier have elected Ryan Roth to the city council by a margin of one vote.
Roth beat out opponent Damion Green 247 to 246.
Green said he did not vote for himself.
”I didn’t feel comfortable,” said Green, “I thought it was kind of narcissistic, so I didn’t.”
The hand recount results were the same as those tabulated by machines following the Nov. 7 election and were close enough to qualify for a mandatory recount.
Three Thurston County elections employees spent about an hour recounting the 555 ballots submitted from voters eligible to vote in the Rainier City Council races.
“It’s awesome,” said Roth upon learning the recount reaffirmed the tabulation machine results. "I'm gonna go have a nice steak dinner!"
He came to watch the recount at the county’s election headquarters.
Roth said he is grateful for his wife, who insisted he vote for himself.
”I was like, ‘It’s one vote. Whatever’s going to happen is going to happen. I’m not like super worried about it.’ But my wife was pushing it,” said Roth.
Green ran for Rainier’s city council before, saying he has no regrets about not voting and he is glad he ran for office.
“I can run again. The third time will be a charm,” said Green.
The last time there was a tie in a Thurston County election, it was decided by a coin toss.
Download our free KING 5 app to stay up-to-date on news stories from across western Washington.
