The Thurston County Auditor's Office, Elections Division, located at 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW, Building 1, Olympia, WA 98502 (phone: 360-786-5408, website: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/elections), administers all federal, state, county, and municipal elections for Lacey residents. Washington conducts elections entirely by mail, with ballots sent to registered voters approximately 18 days before each election. Registration is available online at https://voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx through the Washington Secretary of State's VoteWA portal.
The deadline for online or mail registration is 8 days before any election, though in-person registration at the Elections Office continues through Election Day for same-day registration. Voters need a Washington State driver's license or ID card number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number. The Department of Licensing offers automatic voter registration when residents obtain or renew a driver's license. Address updates and registration status checks are handled through the same online portal. Municipal elections in the city occur in odd-numbered years, with City Council positions and the Mayor elected to four-year terms on staggered cycles. The community uses an at-large council system with seven council members. Information about local candidates, ballot measures, and city initiatives is available through the City of Lacey website at https://www.ci.lacey.wa.us and through the Thurston County Elections voters' pamphlet distributed before each election. Residents can locate their ballot drop box locations at https://voter.votewa.gov/ by entering their address. The county operates numerous 24-hour ballot drop boxes throughout the area, including locations at Lacey City Hall, regional parks, and libraries. Washington's vote-by-mail system has no traditional polling places, though the Elections Office offers in-person voting services during the final days before and on Election Day. Election records that are public in Washington include voter registration lists (available for purchase for political purposes under RCW 29A.08.720), campaign finance reports (searchable at https://www.pdc.wa.gov/ through the Public Disclosure Commission), candidate filings and declarations, precinct-level election results, and ballot measure information. Individual ballot secrecy is protected, but aggregate turnout data by precinct is publicly available. The county has historically trended Democratic in recent elections, though local races often feature non-partisan contests. The ballot will include Washington's Senate race, as Senator Maria Cantwell's seat is up for election.Current federal, state, and local election schedules, ballot contests, candidate filings, and certified results for Lacey voters are published by the Washington Secretary of State Elections (https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections). State legislative races for Washington's 22nd Legislative District (covering the area) will include one State Senate seat and two State House positions. County-level races will include Thurston County Commissioner positions, Prosecuting Attorney, Sheriff, Auditor, Assessor, and Treasurer, depending on the election cycle rotation. Local ballot measures related to city services, bonds, or levies may also appear. Washington automatically mails ballots to all registered voters for every election. Voters do not need to request an absentee ballot. Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day or deposited in an official drop box by 8:00 PM on Election Day. Voters can track their ballot status online at https://voter.votewa.gov/ to confirm when their ballot was mailed, received, and counted.