​Presidential Primary 2024 - Some Help and Some History

The Secretary of State's office prepared a helpful page answering many questions about the Washington Presidential Primary.

This office sent a bulletin addressing the Presidential Primary.

Some things worth highlighting:

• The party you choose (NOT the candidate) is public record in our office for two months. Political parties and other politically interested people will be able to get lists showing which party voters selected.
• 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the November 5, 2024 General Election can vote in the Presidential Primary.
• The Presidential Primary is a political party election to determine the major parties' presidential nominee. 
  

​The roots of the Washington Presidential Primary go back to 1988, when Washington voters signed an initiative asking for one. The Legislature consented. Prior to then, convention delegates were selected entirely by party caucus. The caucuses remain, but both parties now use the primary results.  Below is an editorial from the Sun (now the Kitsap Sun) before the Legislature acted and a news story once it did. Our thanks to the Kitsap Sun for providing PDFs of the pages where these stories appeared.
​Sun Editorial, February 1, 1989 (PDF)	​Sun News Story, February 14, 1989 (PDF)
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