March 2020 Presidential Primary: What To Know In Pierce County

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — Presidential primary ballots were sent out to voters across Washington state Friday, and most Pierce County residents should already have them in their mailboxes. With just over two weeks left to fill them out, there are a few changes to be aware of this year, particularly for Democratic voters.

2020 marks the first time Washington State Democrats will use primary results to assign our state's delegates at the national convention, replacing a caucus system long used by the party in prior elections. In 2019, Gov. Jay Inslee also signed legislation moving Washington's primary from May to March, placing us among six states where residents now cast votes one week after Super Tuesday.

Elections officials believe the changes could lead to higher-than-usual voter turnout, projected this year at 40 percent.

According to the Pierce County Auditor's Office, primary turnout in 2016 was 31.16 percent and turnout in 2008 was 34.61 percent.

WHEN TO EXPECT YOUR BALLOT & OTHER IMPORTANT DATES

• According to elections officials, all ballots were mailed by Friday, Feb. 21, and should have arrived in most mailboxes by Monday. Voters who have not received a ballot should check their voter registration or contact the Pierce County Auditor at 253-798-8683.
• The last day to register or update voter information online or by mail is March 2. All eligible voters can register in-person through Election Day.
• Ballots must be returned to a dropbox, postmarked or dropped off in person by March 10. Election officials recommend mailing ballots no later than Friday, March 6, to ensure they arrive in time to be counted. Stamps are not required.
• The statewide voting period began Friday, Feb. 21, giving residents more than two weeks to fill out and return their ballots.

DECLARING A PARTY

All registered voters, regardless of political affiliation, will receive a ballot listing 13 Democratic candidates and a single Republican candidate; President Donald Trump.

Democrats also have the option to vote for "uncommitted delegates," which indicates support for Washington's delegates to choose a candidate during the national convention

Voters do not have to be a member of either major party to cast their ballots, but they must indicate a party declaration choice on the envelope for their votes to be counted, officials said.

According to elections officials, the party choice requirement is unique to the presidential primary election and does not make anyone a member of a political party, instead serving as an affirmation that voters will not participate in a nomination process for other parties. Voters will not need to declare a party to participate in the November's General Election.

While signing the affirmation does not count as registering with a political party, voters' party preferences are public record and subject to disclosure, elections officials said.

All voters must pick just one of the options listed in their corresponding party. Ballots with multiple choices or cross-party votes will not be counted.

All ballots must be signed by the voter, and signatures will be matched against those on file. Any markings made outside proper areas, including any changes to the affirmation language, will make a ballot subject to challenge or rejection.

BALLOT COUNTING PROCESS

In Pierce County, ballots are hand-sorted by party as they arrive, then run through a machine to mark them as received. After that, the signature on the ballot is verified by two elections employees.

If an envelope is unsigned, or the signature does not match what is on file, the ballot will be challenged, and elections staff will contact the voter by mail, phone and email to resolve the issue. Voters can correct a signature or fix other inconsistencies by email, fax or in-person.

After a signature is verified, the process moves to the next phase where the envelope is opened and the ballot is checked for damage, improper markings or other issues that could cause problems for the scanning equipment.

Once a ballot is cleared by staff, it is scanned by the tabulation team, and an image is stored on a secure system that is not connected to the internet.

On election night, the system calculates the first round of results, based on all the ballots that have been fully processed and counted. The Pierce County Auditor's Office said the early numbers will not include ballots postmarked or placed in dropboxes on Election Day.

The first batch of election results are typically posted online within 15 minutes of the polls closing, and ballot counts are updated daily until the election is certified 10 days later.

HELPFUL PIERCE COUNTY VOTING LINKS

Check your voter registration status online.
Review instructions for voting in the March 10 primary in Pierce County.
Find your nearest ballot dropbox.