March 2020 Presidential Primary: What To Know In King County

RENTON, WA — King County Elections will mail ballots to an estimated 1.38 million registered voters Wednesday ahead of Washington's March 10 presidential primary. There are some notable 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 some of the changes could lead to higher-than-usual voter turnout.

"[With] the Democratic party saying that this is the first time they'll utilize the data, in a way they never have in 70 years, we're interested to see what interest our voters will have," said Julie Wise, King County Elections Director. "We typically see around a 32 percent turnout for a presidential primary election. Will we see 40 [or] 50 percent?"

King County Elections' official voter turnout estimate for the March primary is 40 percent.

WHEN TO EXPECT YOUR BALLOT & OTHER IMPORTANT DATES

• According to elections officials, all King County ballots would be mailed Wednesday, Feb. 19, and should arrive in most mailboxes by Friday or Saturday. Voters who have not received a ballot by Monday, Feb. 24, should check their voter registration or contact elections officials at 206-296-8683.
• The last day to register or update voter information online or by mail is March 2. All eligible voters can register in-person at a voting center 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 begins 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 in the mail listing 13 Democratic candidates and a single Republican candidate; President Donald Trump.

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 King County Elections, 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 who select the Democratic Party must choose a single option listed in the Democrats' column. The list includes space to submit a write-in candidate and the option to vote for "uncommitted delegates," which indicates support for delegates to pick a candidate during the national convention.

Those who select the Republican Party must vote for Donald Trump or submit a write-in candidate.

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

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.

"Some folks will choose not to vote in this election because of that, and that's okay, that's their choice, but everybody should know that that is public record," said Halei Watkins, a King County Elections spokesperson.

To 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

According to King County Elections, ballots are sorted by machine as they are received, and images of the signatures on the envelopes are digitally scanned and sent to a verification team. During peak processing times, the sorting machine can process up to 40,000 envelopes per hour.

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. According to King County Elections, roughly 1 percent of ballots are challenged during a typical election.

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 the ballot is cleared by staff, it is scanned by one of several counting machines, 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. Early results are typically posted within 15 minutes of the polls closing, and ballot counts are updated daily until the election is certified 10 days later.

According to King County Elections, the first results typically include about half of the total ballots returned.

ELECTION SECURITY

King County Elections Director Julie Wise said she requested an audit by the Department of Homeland Security to verify physical security measures in the building, including dozens of cameras and several secure areas that require biometric access. The ballot tabulation systems are not connected to the internet, and a cybersecurity team monitors the facility around the clock.

HELPFUL KING COUNTY VOTING LINKS

Check your voter registration status online.
Review a sample ballot for the March 10 primary.
Find an election center or the nearest ballot dropbox.