A frequently controversial Washington sheriff known for making provocative comments on social media will get to keep his job, voters have decided.
Pierce County Charter Amendment 53, which would have ousted Sheriff Keith Swank in favor of making the county's top cop an appointed position, was failing with 68% of voters rejecting it as of Thursday.
The Seattle Times estimates there are still around 120,000 ballots to be counted in Pierce County — a number that is roughly equivalent to the current gap between approving and rejecting the charter amendment. That means practically all of the remaining votes would have to swing to approving the amendment to break even.
I believe that many people want to keep their right to elect the sheriff, including people who don't like me," Swank said in an interview Wednesday. "There are people who didn't vote for me and who, of course, voted for me, and said that it wasn't right to be removed from office before my term was up."
Swank, who was elected two years ago, has had an incendiary tenure.
He has publicly sparred with the county executive and prosecutor. He's offered to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to support deportation efforts, against state law. And he was investigated by a state law enforcement association due to comments made during a legislative hearing that were considered threatening.
He is a prolific poster on X, where he often wades into politics and has made anti-transgender remarks. He feuded online with another sheriff after Swank defended the killing of Renee Good by ICE agents in Minneapolis. His past social media presence regarding the Jan. 6 insurrection and transgender people drew enough scrutiny that his previous employer, the Seattle Police Department, said it would have fired him for the comments if he had not resigned.
Jake Hunter, a member of Pierce County's Charter Review Commission, thought Swank's actions and words were enough to warrant asking voters to decide whether he should remain sheriff.
After seeing the results, he said he's glad "this question has been put to rest."
"I think the voters have responded in a way that lets us know that an appointed sheriff is not what they want," Hunter said.
In June, the Charter Review Commission put a measure on the ballot that would have changed the charter — the county's governing document — and made the sheriff an appointed position. In a last minute move, commissioners narrowly passed an amendment to the proposal that would shorten Swank's term, ending it two years early if voters approved the amendment.
Hunter rejected the idea that the amendment was just about Swank, pointing to previous elected sheriffs. But Swank "shined a light" on why appointing a sheriff is a good idea, Hunter said.
Ed Troyer, Swank's predecessor, had his reputation tarnished after he was charged with making a false statement to a public servant following a 2021 interaction with a Black newspaper carrier. Troyer was found not guilty by a Pierce County jury.
"I would have liked to see the ability for the leadership at the county — the other elected leadership at least — to be able to respond to that in real time, rather than having to wait for an election," Hunter said.
Under the amendment, the sheriff would have been appointed by the county executive and confirmed by a majority of the County Council. A separate amendment, which also was on track to be rejected, would create a new executive department called the "Public Safety Ombuds" to oversee the sheriff's office and its employees.
Hunter penned the amendment and was the treasurer of a political action committee behind it that raised $2,000, the Protect Pierce PAC. A committee opposing the measure, Vote No on Amendment 53, raised $27,965.
Hunter said he was not surprised by the results after recent polling predicted it would fail.
Swank waged a campaign to vote the amendment down in recent months, imploring residents in yard signs: "Keep your right to vote."
"The charter review (commission) wasted a lot of time on trying to get rid of Sheriff Swank, and it ended up not working that way, Swank said.
King County is the only county in Washington to appoint rather than elect its sheriff.
Seattle Times data reporter Manuel Villa contributed to this story.
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