Damon Townsend is running for Pierce County Auditor in the Nov. 3, 2026, Washington general election. The race is nonpartisan. Linda Farmer is also running.

Asked why he is seeking the office, Townsend said in our candidate questionnaire: "I am running for Pierce County Auditor because I know this office, I know the work, and I know it can be better. … The Auditor's Office is more than elections. It is an administrative office serving nearly a million people through elections, recording, licensing, public records and other everyday services."

Candidate information

Hometown: Born in Puyallup, Washington. Raised between Roy and east Tacoma. Lives in the Gig Harbor area, according to his campaign website.

Family: "My wife, Dawn, and I have been married for more than 25 years. We have three adult children, Keyland, Abigail and Allison. … Keyland serves in the United States Air Force, and Abigail and Allison both work in the credit union industry," Townsend said in our questionnaire.

Education: "I have a bachelor's degree in accounting and business administration and a Master of Business Administration. I returned to college as a working adult, taking advantage of an education benefit negotiated through my union. … I earned certification as a Washington State Certified Election Administrator," Townsend said in our questionnaire.

Party affiliation: "I am currently affiliated with the Cascade Party of Washington and serve on its board. Before joining the Cascade Party, I participated in both major parties and was elected at different times as both a Democratic and Republican Precinct Committee Officer," Townsend said in our questionnaire.

Previous candidacies: Townsend said in our questionnaire that he was a candidate for Pierce County Auditor in 2022.

Experience and public service

Asked about his work history, Townsend said in our questionnaire: "I currently work as a manager in the telecommunications industry, managing field operations, employees, scheduling and complex infrastructure work. … I previously served as a Pierce County Elections Supervisor, overseeing election operations and staff. … Outside of elections, my experience includes accounting, operations, consulting, telecommunications and organized labor. I began my career as an apprenticeship-trained craftsman and later served as a union shop steward."

BallotReady profile data lists his earlier roles as inside sales representative at Graybar from 1998 to 2000 and data technician at Rainier Connect from 2000 to 2004. He also served as area plant supervisor at CenturyLink from 2004 to 2014 and network operations center supervisor at Lightcurve Internet from 2024 to the present.

Asked about accomplishments, Townsend said in our questionnaire: "As Pierce County Elections Supervisor, I did not simply administer existing systems. I identified problems, developed solutions and put new procedures into practice. … My work helped earn Pierce County two national Clearie Awards for election administration."

On the issues

Asked about differences between himself and other candidates, Townsend said in our questionnaire: "Before seeking this office, I had already worked directly in elections. … My opponent came to the Auditor's Office primarily from a background in communications, government affairs and elected office. … My approach is that the Auditor should be an administrator first: focused on efficient operations, strong procedures, accountability, customer service and careful stewardship of public resources."

On his campaign website, Townsend said his priorities include shorter wait times for licensing, passports and recording; better remote access for rural communities; live dashboards for licensing wait times and elections performance; and responsible evaluation of emerging tools including artificial intelligence.

Asked about the best advice he ever received, Townsend said in our questionnaire: "An old boss taught me to identify your problems and then rank them by two standards: big enough to matter and small enough to win. You cannot fix everything at once."

Endorsements

Townsend's campaign website lists endorsements from AFSCME Council 2 and Local 120, UA Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 26, Tacoma Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 31, Mainstream Republicans of Washington, Tacoma-Pierce County Association of Realtors and the Cascade Party of Washington.

Responses are based on public data and answers to a Surround Sound Media questionnaire if they were provided.