Walla Walla County election update includes 323 more ballots; Bertha Clayton maintains lead (2024)

Bertha Clayton held her position ahead of incumbent Jenny Mayberry in the race for the District 1 seat on the Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners with a few more ballots counted as of Friday, Aug. 9.

The updated results included 323 more ballots than the election night count and reflect only a portion of the votes cast by Walla Walla County primary voters.

A total of 5,724 ballots have been tabulated, and there are an estimated 9,500 ballots that remain to be counted. That number might rise as more ballots postmarked by Election Day arrive by mail.

Results are expected to be refreshed again at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13.

Clayton, no party preference, is vying for the seat currently held by Mayberry, a Republican first elected in 2020.

Clayton, 38, is an attorney and the director of the Office of Agricultural and Seasonal Workforce Services for the Washington State Employment Security Department, the office that administers the state’s foreign labor program. She previously worked in insurance and immigration law locally.

Mayberry, 41, is a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Walla Walla County Fire District No. 4 and co-owner of Hot Mama’s Espresso.

Clayton had 1,443 votes, or 65.62% as of Friday. Mayberry had 756 votes, or 34.38%.

With only two candidates on the ballot for the seat, both candidates will advance to the general election in November.

Republican Todd Kimball, who is running for reelection and has no opponent in District 2, received 1,056 votes as of Friday. He will also appear on the general election ballot.

Kate Smith can be reached at katesmith@wwub.com or 509-577-7709.