County Sheriff
August 4, 2026 · Thurston County, Washington · County · primary
How do we calculate vote impact?
Vote impact = representation (how much weight one vote carries here, the smaller the district's population, the higher the representation) + decisiveness (how likely this race is to be close, based on past results and number of candidates).
Representation: Low · 29 out of 100
This district is large for its type, so each vote is a smaller slice of the outcome. About 299,067 people live here.
score = 100 × ln(largest population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(largest ÷ smallest), rounded to 2 decimals = 100 × ln(2,287,171 ÷ 299,067) ÷ ln(2,287,171 ÷ 2,353) = 29.57, comparing counties in WA (grades: 66+ high, 33+ average, otherwise low)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No past results for this contest yet.
Low representation + unknown decisiveness → Below average vote impact.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information and capped at "High".
Sheriff is responsible for:
- Running the county's law-enforcement department, including deputies and patrols
- Running the county jail
- Serving court orders, such as evictions and warrants
- Providing courthouse security in many counties
Affected Areas: Immigration, Public Safety and Crime Control, Gun Control, Data Privacy, Civil Rights
Candidates
Derek Sanders
Independent · Incumbent · declared
Derek Sanders is the 24th Sheriff of Thurston County. Before his election as sheriff and taking office in January 2023, he served six years as a Thurston County deputy and received the Medal of Valor and two Lifesaving awards.
Records: Civil Rights 1 for, Public Safety and Crime Control 4 for
Kevin Burton-Crow
Democratic · declared
Kevin Burton-Crow is a Thurston County Sheriff's Office special victims detective and former reserve deputy. He retired from the U.S. Army after 20 years of service and also coordinates marine services and search-and-rescue work for the Sheriff's Office.
Election sources
Source: voter.votewa.gov
Source: voter.votewa.gov