Presidential Primary FAQs

January 7 -  Deadline for each major political party to submit their final list of candidates to be printed on their side of the ballot. Once the names are submitted to the Office of the Secretary of State, changes cannot be made. (RCW 29A.56) The same candidates will appear in the printed Voters’ Pamphlet and online Voters’ Guide. If you’re a major political party candidate/campaign, please contact our office.

January 25 – Military and overseas ballots and Voters’ Pamphlets are mailed.

February 12 thru 21 –3.4 million Voters’ Pamphlets are mailed statewide.

February 21 – Ballots are mailed to every registered voter and voting centers open. 

March 2 - Deadline for online registrations and address updates; mailed registrations must be received by an elections official, not postmarked.

March 10 – Presidential Primary

• Last day to register or update in person at a county elections office.
• Mailed ballots must have a March 10 postmark to count.
• All returned ballots must have a valid signature.
• Ballot boxes and voting centers close at 8:00 p.m.
• After 8:00 p.m., counties begin transmission of results to the Secretary of State.

March 27 – Last day for Secretary of State to certify Presidential Primary results.

July, August - The major political parties hold conventions to officially nominate their candidates for US President. The 2020 Democratic National Convention is July 13-16, 2020, and the Republican National Convention is August 24-27, 2020.

For more info, contact the WA State Democratic Party @ 206-583-0664, or the WA State Republican Party @ 425-460-0570.

The 2020 Presidential Primary is a chance to participate in the nomination process for the office of US President. It was first created in 1989 through a citizens' Initiative to the Legislature to include more voters in the process. This is the only election in which Washington's voters are required to mark and sign party declarations written by the major political parties. Every registered voter receives a mailed ballot packet after February 21.

Each major political party decides which candidates are printed on their side of the ballot. On January 7, each major party submitted its final list of names to the Secretary of State’s Office for ballot materials. The uncommitted option was available to both parties. The Democratic Party requested an uncommitted delegates option. The Republican Party did not request the option. Once the party's list of candidates is submitted to the Secretary of State, changes cannot be made. RCW 29A.56. For more information about each party's rules for getting on the list, please contact the WA State Democratic Party @ 206-583-0664, or the WA State Republican Party @ 425-460-0570.

The order of political parties and candidates is determined by the number of votes cast for the office of US President at the last presidential election. The major political party that received the highest number of votes from the electors of this state for the office of president at the last presidential election must appear first. In 2016, the Democratic Party received the highest number of votes and must appear first. Candidates are placed on the ballot in alphabetical order within each party. Candidates on the list will appear in the same order in the printed Voters' Pamphlet.

Minor and independent candidates do not participate in the Presidential Primary and must comply with a different convention process.

Every registered voter will receive a ballot in the mail after February 21. Voters in Washington do not declare a party when registering to vote, but to participate in the Presidential Primary, you must mark one party box and sign the declarations on the return envelope.

Vote for one only. Both the Democratic and Republican ballots will appear on a single (consolidated) ballot. Unlike other elections, you may only vote for one printed candidate on the entire ballot page.

Party declaration. Each major party wrote its party declaration and provided it to the Secretary of State's Office for ballot materials. For your vote to count, the candidate you mark on the ballot must match the political party declaration (box) you mark on the return envelope.

Check now to see if your registration is up to date! 

For the March 10 Presidential Primary only, the major political parties require voters to choose a party in order to participate in the nomination process. Your choice of party will not affect how you may vote in future elections. You must mark and sign the political party declaration (box) on your envelope for your vote to count per  RCW 29A.56.050. 

Each major party wrote its declaration and provided wording to the Secretary of State’s Office for ballot materials. Attempts to change the party declaration could result in your ballot not being counted.

• Democratic Party Declaration: I declare that my party preference is the Democratic Party and I will not participate in the nomination process of any other political party for the 2020 Presidential election.
• Republican Party Declaration: I declare that I am a Republican and I have not participated and will not participate in the 2020 precinct caucus or convention system of any other party.

In the November General Election, you will not declare a party and may vote for any Presidential candidate you wish.

No. Your ballot is divided into 2 sides: Democratic Party (blue) and Republican Party (red). For your vote to count, you must vote for one candidate from the political party you marked on your envelope. If you vote both sides of the ballot, or the opposite side of the ballot, your vote will not count. Ballots are mailed February 21.

Your ballot will have an option to vote for “Uncommitted Delegates.” The uncommitted option was requested by the Democratic Party. It was not requested by the Republican Party.

You may vote for one candidate or the uncommitted option, but not both. 

• A vote for one candidate listed on the ballot directs party delegates to support that candidate at their national convention.
• A vote for “uncommitted” allows uncommitted delegates who represent Washington to decide during their national convention.

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Uncommitted Delegates are a party process. Please contact your party for further explanation.

Washington State Democrats:
PO Box 4027 Seattle, WA 98194
(206) 583-0664
[email protected]
www.wa-democrats.org

 

Washington State Republican Party:
11811 NE 1^st St., Ste A306 Bellevue, WA 98005
(425) 460-0570
[email protected]
www.wsrp.org

The Presidential Primary is a process of collecting votes for presidential candidates from Washington voters that sign a political party declaration and return a ballot. Caucuses are run by each party to determine issues for party platforms and to select the delegates who will participate in state and national party conventions. For more information about caucuses, please contact your political party.

Yes. Voters may participate in political party caucuses and the Presidential Primary, but only on behalf of the same party. Every voter participating in the Presidential Primary must sign a party declaration stating that the voter has not participated in the other party’s caucus process. Per state law, each party receives a list of voters who chose to affiliate with that party in the Presidential Primary only. 

It's possible for candidates to suspend their campaigns before March 10, but every voted ballot returned to the local elections office will be processed and all results reported. Once your ballot has been processed by your local county elections office, it’s not possible to change your vote. Results will be certified by the Secretary of State no later than March 27.

To ensure delivery of ballots and Voters' Pamphlets to military and overseas voters, state law requires each major political party to provide its final list of candidates to the Secretary of State's Office no later than January 7. Each political party decides which candidates are printed on their side of the ballot. Once each political party submits their list of candidates to the Secretary of State, changes cannot be made. (RCW 29A.56)