High voter turnout expected but you'll have to choose a party

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

EVERETT — Snohomish County mailed ballots for the March 10 presidential primary to roughly 476,000 registered voters on Thursday.

And local and state election officials expect a noticeable bump in how many of those ballots will be returned because the electoral event is coming at a time when the race for the Democratic Party nomination is still competitive.

“Our past primaries have been later in the process or in May,” said County Auditor Garth Fell. “Many times, at that point, it’s clear who the top nominees are.”

Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation last March to hold the electoral event on the second Tuesday in March, rather than late May — a move expected to give Washington voters greater prominence in choosing the nominees who will appear on the November ballot.

But the new law came with a caveat: To have their ballot counted, voters will have to say they are a member of the political party of the candidate they are backing.

While Secretary of State Kim Wyman expects a turnout boost due to the earlier primary date, the party declaration requirement will likely deter some voters, she said.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/election-officials-primary-date-should-boost-voter-turnout/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=0177bd6130-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-0177bd6130-228635337

[MichMan]

1. Sounds like a good number of ballots may be rejected

"If a voter doesn’t mark one of the boxes, or if they declare one party and cast a vote for a candidate of the opposite party, the county auditor’s office will notify them with a letter asking that they correct the mistake."

Potentially making the initial results very inaccurate and subject to being revised later

[Wounded Bear]

2. Got mine yesterday...

Meh to the "party choice" problem. I hate open primaries. Primaries are to choose the party's candidate.

Will probably wait to send mine in. Perhaps til after super Tuesday. We'll see.