Washington 2020 Presidential Primary: Last Chance To Vote

SEATTLE, WA — Washington's 18-day voting period is drawing to a close, and all ballots due by 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 10. If you're still holding onto your envelope, or even if you haven't registered yet, there are still a few hours left to make your voice heard on Election Day.

Since return envelopes must be post-marked by March 10, it's recommended that voters who wait until Election Day place their ballots in a dropbox.

Washington votes alongside five other states and has the second-highest number of delegates up for grabs Tuesday, at 89. Michigan leads the pack with 125 delegates at stake.

Related Coverage:

March 2020 Presidential Primary: What To Know In King County

March 2020 Presidential Primary: What To Know In Pierce County

How many ballots received so far?

According to the Secretary of State, nearly 1.6 million ballots had been received by Monday night — approximately 35.1 percent of what was mailed out to registered voters. Officials in King and Pierce counties were projecting 40 percent turnout by the time polls close Tuesday.

Party declaration required

This year's primary has some notable differences from previous elections, including the requirement that each voter must fill in a party declaration box. According to elections officials, doing so does not register you with a party, but the selection is public record. Failing to check one of the party options, or any attempt to modify the language used, will make a ballot subject to rejection or challenge.

Elections officials said the party choice requirement is unique to this primary and will not be used during the general election. The language used in the declarations were written by the state political parties.

The Seattle Times reports around 985,000 voters had cast a Democratic ballot by Monday, while 550,000 picked the Republican choice. At least 60,000 voters had failed to choose a party, which may have invalidated their votes.

This year, primaries matter for both parties

The other major change to be aware of this year: for the first time, the state Democratic party is using the results from its primary to assign delegates for the national convention. In prior elections, Washington democrats relied on the caucus system to allocate delegates.

According to the Associated Press, 58 of Washington's 89 delgates get allocated based on the results in congressional districts and the remainder are assigned based on the statewide results.

13 Democratic choices listed, but 3 candidates remain

More than a dozen Democrats appear on this year's ballots in Washington, but some notable candidates recently dropped out of the race, including Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Mike Bloomberg.

Republicans have just one choice listed for 2020: President Donald Trump.

The first round of results are expected by 8:15 p.m. on election night, and the early returns will not include ballots postmarked or dropped off on March 10. State and county elections officials will update their vote totals daily until the election's certification on March 20.

Find answers to frequently asked questions on the Secretary of State's website.

To be eligible to vote, you must be:

• A citizen of the United States
• A legal resident of Washington state
• At least 18 years old by Election Day
• Not under the authority of the Department of Corrections
• Not disqualified from voting due to a court order

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.

Pierce County Voting Links:

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

Snohomish County Voting Links:

Check your voter registration status online.
Review a sample ballot for the March 10 primary.
Find accessible voting locations or the nearest ballot dropbox.