<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1N1GKN_1GzXvyJ500" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1N1GKN_1GzXvyJ500" width="1200" height="894" ><figcaption>A voter fills out his ballot in the Kittitas County Courthouse on Nov. 3. BRIAN KELLY / DAILY RECORD</figcaption></figure>Turnout for the 2026 General Election hit 64% in Kittitas County following Tuesday’s update in voting results, according to the Washington Secretary of State.Additional ballots were counted Nov. 10, and the next update is expected Thursday.Since the Nov. 3 election, a total of 20,950 ballots have been counted in Kittitas County. Election officials said 32,494 ballots were initially issued, and the county has 32,564 registered voters.In unofficial results, Cori McKean, a Republican, was elected as Kittitas County Coroner over Charlie Divine.McKean claimed 64.85% of the vote in the updated tally, to Divine’s 34.82%.Divine did not run with a party affiliation.The vote count was 12,345 for McKean, and 6,628 for Divine — a gap of 5,517.McKean is the current coroner. She took over as acting coroner following the unexpected death of Nicholas “Nick” Henderson in October 2025, and was appointed coroner by county commissioners the following month.Deputy Prosecutor Jodi Hammond won the election for prosecuting attorney over local attorney Aaron Reiman.Hammond, a Republican, pulled in 56.4% of all ballots cast, while Reiman, an independent candidate, had 43.25%. The vote count was 11,002 to 8,436, with Hammond in the lead by 2,566.Reiman picked up another 2,474 in votes since the initial count on Election Night, while Hammond got another 3,170 in the latest update.The race for county prosecutor became an open one after current Prosecuting Attorney Greg Zempel announced in January he would be retiring and not seeking a ninth term. Zempel was first elected prosecutor in 1994.Hammond joined the Kittitas County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in 2011. She became chief criminal deputy prosecutor in 2018.Republican Ben Kokjer was the runaway winner in the contest for county sheriff over challenger Darryl Chepoda.In the latest tally of ballots, Kokjer had 76.58% of the vote.Kokjer has been in law enforcement for 25 years, with most of that time in Kittitas County. He is currently the chief criminal deputy.Chepoda, an independent candidate who is a farmer and rancher in the Upper County, collected 22.86% of ballots cast.The newest tally had 14,777 votes for Kokjer, and 4,412 for Chepoda, a difference of 10,365.That’s an additional 4,168 ballots cast for Kokjer since the Election Day count, and another 1,433 for Chepoda.A number of candidates for county offices ran unopposed.Republican Stephanie George will be the next Kittitas County Clerk.George is currently the administrative supervisor in the Kittitas County Clerk’s Office. Clerk Karen Bowen announced her retirement earlier this year.County Commissioner Brett Wachsmith ran unopposed for the District 3 position on the Board of Commissioners, and fellow incumbents Treasurer Amy Cziske, Assessor Mike Hougardy and Auditor Bryan Elliott also did not have challengers.In state races, Joshua Thompson will serve in Position 2 in the 13th Legislative District of the Washington House of Representatives after his win over fellow Republican Deanna Martinez.Thompson had 52.99% of the vote, while Martinez had 44.73%.Thompson is currently a member of the Ellensburg City Council.“It's been a pretty wild ride from my first campaign, where I started out with some campaign signs, handouts, and my dog on a street corner at the farmers market, to winning my city council seat and all the issues we addressed,” Thompson said in an email to the Daily Record. “And then winning this State House seat, being the first time Kittitas County has had a representative eight years.”For Position 1 in the 13th District, Rep. Tom Dent has won another term.The Republican incumbent bested his Democratic Party challenger Juan “Jerry” Garcia, 66.7% to 33.17%.County canvassing boards have until Nov. 24 to certify their local elections and send the results to the Washington Secretary of State.The state will certify the election results Dec. 3.</div></body>

Block Source: ncwlife.com

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

Turnout for the 2026 General Election hit 64% in Kittitas County following Tuesday’s update in voting results, according to the Washington Secretary of State. Additional ballots were counted Nov. 10, and the next update is expected Thursday. Since the Nov. 3 election, a total of 20,950 ballots have been...

Kittitas County gives update on 2026 General Election

NewsBreak

Turnout for the 2026 General Election hit 64% in Kittitas County following Tuesday’s update in voting results, according to the Washington Secretary of Sta

Kittitas County gives update on 2026 General Election

Comments