BENTON COUNTY, Wash. - The first tally of votes from Benton County's November 4 General Election has been released. Fred Brink is leading the mayoral race in West Richland with 72% of the vote against city councilmember and mayoral candidate May Hays, who faced a DUI arrest on August 22.

Richland residents are voting against a proposed change to the city council election system. The Richland Charter Amendment Number One, which suggested shifting from an at-large system to a district-based voting system, is failing with 44% of the vote.

In education, the Kiona-Benton School District's Proposition Number One, an educational programs and operations replacement levy, is also failing with 46% of the vote. The proposition aimed to levy an average of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value

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