The Washington State Presidential Primary takes place Tuesday, May 24th. Being a mail-in ballot state, ballots will be mailed to all registered voters on May 6th. Here’s what you need to know to participate in the primary.
Validate your voter registration
April 25th was the deadline for updating your voter registration for the primary. You can still register to vote in person until May 16th.
Now is a great time to make sure your address is correct for the general election in November. The deadline to update your address online or by mail is October 10th. You can do so in person until October 31st.
If you aren’t registered to vote, you can fix that right here.
You must pick a party
Washington State does not require voters to register with a party and any voter can vote for any presidential candidate in the primary. On your ballot, however, you will be required to affirm that you are only backing one and only one party, either the Democrats or the Republicans, for the primary.
This means that if you participated in the Democratic caucus, you can only vote for a Democratic candidate in the primary. If you did not participate in the Democratic caucus, you can vote for any candidate from either party in the primary.
Voting for a Republican candidate
With Ted Cruz and John Kasich dropping out of the race, and Donald Trump seen as the de facto GOP nominee, you may be wondering why you should vote at all. And the answer is important: you should always vote. The truth of the matter is that the Republican nominee is chosen at the convention and there is still the possibility of a contested convention. Moreover, you should vote for your voice, as part of Washington state Republicans, to be heard.
If you want to vote for one of the Republican candidates, and did not participate in the Democratic caucus, you will need to:
- Mark your ballot for one of the four candidates:
- Select the Republican Party box on the outside of your ballot
- Sign your ballot, put a stamp on it, and mail it.
Ballots must be postmarked by May 24th.
Voting for a Democratic candidate
Washington State Democrats used their caucus on March 26th to select their candidate and will not be using the results of the primary to allocate any of their delegates. Said another way: if you did not participate in the caucus you have missed your chance to vote for one of the Democratic candidates prior to the general election.
But you should still vote.
Too many times people have used misinformation to disenfranchise others of their right to vote. Despite believing my information to be correct and linking to the Washington Secretary of State website, you should always question when someone is telling you not to vote. Always vote. Always.
If you want to vote for one of the Democratic candidates you will need to:
- Mark your ballot for one of the two candidates:
- Select the Democrat Party box on the outside of your ballot
- Sign your ballot, put a stamp on it, and mail it.
Ballots must be postmarked by May 24th.
Other Resources
You should have received a copy of the Washington State Voter’s Pamphlet in the mail already. If you haven’t, you can access a PDF of it online or find a copy at your local library.
The Washington Secretary of State’s website has additional FAQs as well.
Vote!
Regardless of who you vote for, I strongly encourage you to vote. The next president of the United States will shape the country over the next four years and you have a say in who that will be even as early as the state primary.
Digital Ramblings 