I attended a presentation by King County Director of Elections Julie Wise.  She presented some important information regarding the Primary election coming to the State of Washington for the first time since we voted to change from a Caucus process last year.  Even if you aren’t in King County, the ballot and election date is the same state-wide.  Here are the facts you need to know…

Photo of the sample ballot:

Photo of ballot envelope:

• Everyone will receive the same ballot regardless of party affiliation.
• You must indicate a party affiliation in order to vote in the primary and you must select someone from the party you indicate, otherwise your ballot will not count.
• If you vote for more than one candidate, your ballot will not count.  If you make a mistake, follow the instructions on how to cross it out and change your choice.
• You must sign your ballot and that signature must match what you provided when you registered to vote.  If it does not, they will attempt to contact you if you provided contact information, otherwise your ballot will not count.
• Your party preference will be public record and it will be kept for 90 days after which time it will be deleted.
• The preferred method for voting is to use the ballot drop boxes around the county.  Here is a map of their locations.  No stamp is needed and it can be dropped off up to 8:00pm on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.
• If you choose to mail your ballot, it is recommended to do so at least several days prior to March 10 because mail is not certain to be picked up every day from your mailbox.  Generally it is only picked up when you receive mail.  If you drop off at the post office, be sure it is prior to the collection time for that box on March 10.  If you miss the pickup, your ballot will be postmarked the next day and it will not be counted.

We are so lucky that Washington State is exclusively vote-by-mail.  We have the luxury to take our time reviewing, studying and marking our ballot at home instead of driving to a polling center and standing in line to cast your vote.  That might explain why Washington always has one of the highest voter turnouts.  Even a poorly-timed blizzard won’t keep us from voting IF you plan ahead.  But you have to be registered.  March 2 is the deadline to register online or by mail and participate in the Primaries election. March 10 is the deadline for registering in person.  But trust me, you don’t want to have to drive to the elections office to register. Do it online now.  All the important dates can be found here.

There is also this great posting on the official state website on more FAQs.  Definitely worth reading.