The due date for the Washington State Presidential Primary ballot return is March 10 at 8PM. However, ballots “drop,” that is, they’re mailed out, by County Auditors in Washington State yesterday, today, and tomorrow, February 19-21. It is a simple ballot except for one thing: because in Washington State we have great paper ballots, ballots that literally are a paper trail, the ballots were printed weeks ago to be ready to mail now. Click here to see the ballot. Many of the Democratic Presidential Candidates listed on the ballot have already dropped out. (Here‘s a current listing.) After next Tuesday, March 3, aka Super Tuesday, a week and a half from now, when fifteen states vote in the Presidential Primary, even more might drop out. (Like the ballot, the WA State Voters pamphlet is out of date. For example, the first bio is for Michael Bennett. He dropped out February 11th.)
Be sure to vote, and be sure to vote for a candidate who is still in the race after Super Tuesday. Hold your ballot that week and a half and do a little homework before you fill it in and mail it or drop it off.
This is an important vote for people in non-swing states, states that are highly likely to vote majority Democratic (or Republican). Thanks to the archaic Electoral College system voters in non-swing states are likely to have more say about who becomes President by voting in this Primary than you will have a say (at least concerning the U.S. Presidency) in the General Election in November. Delegates determined in these Primary Elections (caucuses, still, in some states) are sent to the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in July.
This year for the first time in Washington State Democratic delegates are sent to the Democratic National Convention mostly based on the results of the voting in this March 10th Primary. The complex details of delegate selection can be accessed here.
Make sure your VOTE counts for WA State delegate allocation by holding your ballot until AFTER Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Make your choice, then mail or drop your ballot at a dropbox soon after March 4th. The final day to vote is March 10th.
Keep to the high ground,
Jerry
P.S. For Idaho Voters: The Idaho Presidential Primary is also held on March 10. In 2018 the Idaho Democratic Party switched to a state run Primary from party caucus system. I believe Idaho will also have candidates on the ballot who have already dropped out (for the same reason Washington does–paper). Idaho still has polls, so most of the voting (unless you’ve applied for an absentee ballot) requires appearing at your polling place. More detail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Idaho_Democratic_primary