Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank appears likely to keep his job after early election results show voters rejecting a charter amendment that would have ended his term and made the position appointed.
Early returns from the Nov. 3 election show over 67% of voters opposing Charter Amendment 53, according to KNKX Public Radio. The measure would have removed Swank from office on Jan. 1, 2027, and let Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello appoint a replacement subject to County Council confirmation.
As we reported Nov. 4, initial returns already pointed toward defeat. KNKX reported Nov. 5 that both measures were still failing.
Early results also show voters rejecting Charter Amendment 54, which would have created a public safety ombuds office to investigate complaints against the Sheriff's Office. That measure was failing more narrowly, with about 52% voting "no," according to KNKX.
Both amendments reached the ballot through the Pierce County Charter Review Commission, a 21-member elected body that reviews the county charter roughly once a decade. The commission voted in June to send the measures to voters, The Tacoma News Tribune reported.
What was at stake
Amendment 53 asked voters to change Section 3.70 of the Pierce County Charter, ending the elected sheriff position entirely. Swank, a former Seattle Police Department captain elected in 2024, would have been removed before completing his four-year term.
The amendment drew organized opposition. Signage around the county urged voters to "reject 53" and keep their right to vote for sheriff, the News Tribune reported. The Vote No On Amendment 53 political action committee raised $27,965, largely from individuals. The Protect Pierce PAC, which supported the amendment, raised $2,690.
Supporters of the change argued an appointed sheriff would allow the county to hold the position accountable between elections and conduct a nationwide search for qualified candidates, the News Tribune reported.
Swank's controversies
Swank has faced multiple controversies during his time in office. The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) initiated investigative proceedings to possibly expel him from the organization, according to KNKX. That followed comments Swank made at a legislative committee that the group said could be seen as threatening.
He has also clashed with Prosecutor Mary Robnett and Mello, and his online speech led to multiple investigations by the Criminal Justice Training Commission, the News Tribune reported.
Charter review commissioner Jake Hunter, who drafted the original version of Amendment 53, called Swank a potentially "existential threat" to the county, the News Tribune reported. Swank spoke frequently at commission meetings to oppose the amendment.
In coverage published in August, Swank told the News Tribune, "I support the lawsuit filed in Thurston County, and I believe making the sheriff appointed is unconstitutional."
History and what's next
Pierce County has toggled between appointed and elected sheriffs before. The county appointed its sheriff from 1980, when the county charter was adopted, until a 2006 charter amendment switched to elections with 66% voter approval. King County remains the only one of Washington's 39 counties with an appointed sheriff.
More results will be posted on the Washington Secretary of State's website as remaining ballots are counted. A day after the election, Swank posted on X criticizing President Donald Trump for Republican setbacks in the midterms, MyNorthwest reported.
