Linda Farmer and Deryl McCarty were leading the Pierce County auditor’s race Tuesday

Pierce County auditor candidates Linda Farmer and Deryl McCarty were poised to move on to the November general election Tuesday after receiving the most votes in first tally of the primary election.

The auditor oversees elections, licensing services and public records. The Auditor’s Office accepts summons, complaints and other legal documents on behalf of Pierce County. The auditor serves for four-year terms and is limited to three terms. Julie Anderson is the current auditor.

The race is nonpartisan.

Farmer, who received 43.86% of Tuesday’s vote, is a Lakewood City Council member and the chief communications officer for the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services, which improves and streamlines access to public service. She received an endorsement from the Pierce County Democrats.

Her priorities as auditor would be election integrity, transparency and trust and a modern experience, which would streamline operations, maximize technology and transform workplace culture.

Farmer said in an interview Tuesday night it was beyond her wildest dreams to win the primary. She said the voters recognized her combined executive and elected experience. If she is elected auditor in November, Farmer said she would want to ramp up communication and outreach to help Pierce County residents understand what the Auditor’s Office does and ensure taxpayers are getting what they are paying for.

Farmer noted there were 11,000 undervotes, and she said she wants to understand if voters don’t know what an auditor does or what the auditor candidates brought.

McCarty, who received 31.64% of Tuesday’s tally, is a Puyallup resident who served 30 years in the U.S. Air Force in staff and leadership roles, including as the director of McChord’s 50th Anniversary. He was a deputy auditor for Pierce County in 2009, county planning commissioner, county transportation commissioner and chairman, county redistricting commissioner and a county land use advisory commissioner and chairman. McCarty received an endorsement from the Pierce County Republican Party, where he was the chairman for 12 years.

McCarty said as auditor he would concentrate on leadership and evaluate the services of the auditor’s office, such as if a fee reflects how much it costs to process that service. He said he would take on the county’s auditor with integrity and honor.

Like Farmer, McCarty acknowledged many don’t know what an elected auditor does, which is the downside of the race.

Farmer and McCarty edged out Damon Townsend. The top two vote-getters move on to November.

Townsend, who received 23.99% of Tuesday’s vote, is an elections consultant, including the interim elections manager for Clallam and Cowlitz counties. Townsend, who lives in Gig Harbor, was the Pierce County elections specialist and supervisor, a position that is in the Auditor’s Office, for five years.

Live voting result updates for Aug. 2, 2022, primary election in Pierce County, WA