Voters in Benton and Franklin counties have until 8 p.m. Aug. 5 to get their August primary ballot into a drop box and have their vote counted. 

As of the morning of Aug. 4, voter turnout was under 12% in Benton County and 22% in Franklin County. 

In Benton County, several city council seats in Kennewick, Prosser and Richland had enough candidates file to qualify for the primary. One race each for the Grandview and Kennewick school districts are also on the ballot. 

Benton Fire District 1 is asking its voters to renew its levy for fire and emergency services back to its original $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed property value. Last approved in 2018, the levy has dropped to $1.23 per $1,000 in assessed property value due to the levy lid. Raising the levy back to its original level would cost taxpayers an additional $5 a month. 

In Franklin County, only the mayoral race qualified for the primary. 

View Benton County and Franklin County voter guides and drop-box locations online. Election results will begin to be published after 8 p.m. on the Washington Secretary of State’s elections website. 

You can still register to vote in the election by visiting your county’s voting center.  

Contact your local county elections office for details.