Ballots arrive this week, but don’t vote too soon | Guest Opinion

This year, there are big changes in Washington’s presidential primary election.

Our primary has been moved up to Tuesday, March 10th, one week after Super Tuesday, drawing candidate and media attention.

However, some logistical challenges result. Ballots drop Friday, Feb. 21, and Super Tuesday March 3rd usually results in some candidates dropping out. Verify your candidate is still in the running before voting.

The changes are greatest for those voters who consider themselves Democrats, because Democrats are now using primary election results instead of precinct caucuses to determine how many delegates each presidential candidate wins — just like the Republicans.

Top vote-getters who receive at least 15% of the Democratic primary vote will be allocated delegates from Washington to the Democratic National Convention, distributed proportionally by the Congressional District vote.

Registered voters and those pre-registered who will be 18 years old by the general election on Nov. 3 are eligible to vote in the primary.

You can register to vote or update your voter information online through March 2. After that, you can still register or update your information in person at the auditor’s office through Election Day, March 10.

Your ballot will be mailed to you with a stamped return envelope if you’re registered by March 2, or it can be handed to you or printed from an online file if registering after then.

Contact your county auditor’s office for registration information, or if you haven’t gotten your ballot by Feb. 28.

Because the primary is to allocate delegates to party national conventions — who in turn select the parties’ presidential nominees — only those who consider themselves Democrats vote for Democratic candidates, and those who consider themselves Republicans vote for Republican candidates.

You must check the box identifying your party and sign the declaration on the envelope, and then select a single candidate from the same party on the ballot in order for your vote to count. On the ballot, candidates are listed in separate columns, Democrats on the left, Republicans on the right.

Just like the fact that you voted, your party selection will be public information available for 60 days. The parties can acquire this information from the Secretary of State. This is not party registration, and you will still be able to vote across party lines for any candidate in other elections.

If mailing your ballot, mail by Saturday, March 7 to ensure it’s postmarked by March 10.

If voting after March 7, your safest bet is to put your ballot in your local ballot box. Your county auditor’s website lists the ballot box locations in your county.

If you’re notified that your ballot was rejected because you forgot to sign it, you can fix that by contacting the auditor’s office, but you’ll need to work quickly because the time for certifying the primary is short.

Look to your newspaper, your mailbox, local party organizations’ websites, and social media for the next steps in the presidential nomination process. Democracy works best when we all participate.

This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 11:57 AM.