Franklin County approves relocation of elections office to consolidated election center

Franklin County commissioners voted Dec. 17 to approve Resolution 2025-377, authorizing the relocation and consolidation of the county elections administration into a new election center.

The proposal presented to the board said the move is largely grant funded and is intended to consolidate split election operations — currently divided between a processing center and the courthouse — into one secure location. "There's an opportunity here to have a place... to move forward and create something," Eric Johnson told the board during the discussion, describing expected gains in security and customer service for voters.

Elections staff described operational efficiencies from co‑locating teams and avoiding routine back‑and‑forth transport of ballots. "Per RCW, everything in an election has to be done in twos," an elections official said, explaining that the consolidation would ease staffing disruptions when employees are out. Staff also reported recent approval from the Secretary of State for use of HAVA funds and noted approximately $72,000 remaining in unused HAVA funding for furniture and security technology.

Commissioners discussed potential annual savings and administrative synergies but did not present a detailed dollar‑by‑dollar savings estimate at the meeting. Staff said the project is expected to be approximately 90% grant funded and that a small remainder would be covered from equipment replacement funds collected from partner districts. The board moved and approved the resolution by voice vote.

Next steps outlined by staff include finalizing bid reviews, confirming that each bidder's scope matches county requirements, and returning with a contractor recommendation and implementation timeline.