WA Judge Allows Vote to Replace Elected Sheriff With Appointed Position

Pierce County voters will decide whether the county sheriff should remain an elected position or become an appointed office after a Washington judge rejected a legal challenge seeking to stop the controversial charter amendment from reaching the November ballot. Pierce County Charter Amendment 53 would fundamentally change how the Pierce County Sheriff's Office is led, replacing the current system in which voters elect their sheriff with one in which the Pierce County executive appoints the sheriff. The proposal has become a major political fight involving Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank, who argues the measure is aimed at removing him from office and taking power away from Pierce County voters. Opponents of the amendment went to Thurston County Superior Court seeking to keep the measure off the ballot, but the judge ruled they had not met the high legal threshold required for pre-election relief. The court decision means Pierce County voters are expected to have the final say on whether their sheriff remains directly accountable to voters through elections or is selected through an appointment process. Another measure, Charter Amendment 54, would create a new Department of Public Safety Ombuds to oversee matters involving the Pierce County Sheriff's Office. Critics are raising questions about government accountability, transparency, the authority of the new office and how much another county department could ultimately cost taxpayers. Washington in Focus examines the court ruling, the fight over Sheriff Keith Swank, Pierce County Charter Amendments 53 and 54, and the larger debate over voter control, police oversight, public safety and government accountability ahead of Washington's November election. #PierceCounty #KeithSwank #PierceCountySheriff #WashingtonState #WashingtonPolitics #WashingtonNews #Election2026 #PublicSafety #GovernmentAccountability #Police #Tacoma #TheCenterSquare