(The Center Square) – The process for proceeding with Washington’s 2024 presidential primary took a step forward Tuesday when Secretary of State Steve Hobbs formally authorized declarations that voters eventually must sign if they want to participate.
The primary is scheduled for March 12. Ballots will be mailed out to all registered voters in mid-February.
Washington voters are not required to declare a political party affiliation to cast ballots in other primary and general elections. But under state law 29A.56.050, a “major political party” can request declarations of party preference from voters in a presidential primary. Under state or national party rules, the results can then be used to allocate delegates to the respective parties’ national nominating conventions.
In Washington, the law requires voters to designate their “party of preference” – presumably Democrat or Republican – on the outside of their ballot envelopes in order to be counted.
Another state law, RCW 29A.56.031, says the two major political parties must provide their list of potential presidential nominees 63 days before the primary. Once submitted, state law forbids changes to the ballot’s candidate list.
According to Ballotpedia, both Washington Democratic and Republican parties say delegate allocations to their respective national conventions will be proportional. Currently, Democrats’ top declared candidates are President Joe Biden and challengers Robert Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson. Among Republicans, there are 14 declared candidates, with former President Donald Trump leading the field in virtually all recent polling.
Declaration language on the ballot envelope will be identical except for the party name. The voter states his or her party preference and promises not to participate in the nomination process of any other political party for the 2024 presidential primary.
Following the primary, a voter’s party declaration is accessible in public files, giving information to state parties for their voter lists.
Until 2020, Washington’s presidential primary had been conducted in mid-May, a time when leading contenders in both parties had emerged and collected significant numbers of delegates in earlier primaries around the nation. Washington was finally prompted to move its presidential primary to March in hopes of being relevant in the nomination races and attracting candidates to campaign in the Evergreen State.
Still, many Washington voters have been viewed as somewhat independent and less partisan compared to other states, often supporting candidates based on their individual qualifications and experience rather than party affiliation. After years of litigation, the state’s current “Top Two” system was ultimately upheld – independent of the presidential primary – allowing two candidates of the same political party to advance from a primary and face one another in the general election.
