Secretary of State Certifies List of Candidates to Appear on Washington’s Presidential Primary

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On Tuesday, Secretary of State Kim Wyman certified lists of candidates submitted by the state Democratic and Republican parties to be included in Washington’s March 10 presidential primary ballot, including 13 Democratic candidates and one Republican — President Donald Trump. 

“Holding the presidential primary earlier in the year is a boon for Washington as it gives our voters a greater voice in the nomination process for U.S. President,” said Wyman, in a news release. “By making Washington more relevant in this process, I’m optimistic we’ll see record-breaking turnout in March.” 

Democratic candidates include Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Andrew Yang, Pete Buttigieg, Tom Steyer, Tulsi Gabbard, Joseph R. Biden, Cory Booker, Michael Bennet, John Delaney, Deval Patrick, and Michael Bloomberg. The ballot will also include a 14th option for voters to indicate a preference that delegates to the party’s national convention remain uncommitted. 

Voters who select the “uncommitted” option may only cast their vote for that option; voters may not vote for a candidate in addition to selecting “uncommitted” on their ballot.  

 Donald Trump will be the only Republican candidate included on the ballot, and an “uncommitted” option will not be provided to Republican voters. 

 All voters participating in Washington’s presidential primary must mark and sign a party declaration on their return envelope in order for their vote to be counted. 



Though candidates from both major political parties will appear on the ballot, voters may only make one selection among their party’s list of candidates. The presidential primary is the only statewide election in which voters are required to select a political party.  

After years of working with the state Legislature to move the primary to an earlier date, lawmakers approved a bill in 2019 to advance the primary to the second Tuesday in March.

Ballots for the presidential primary will be mailed to registered voters by Feb. 21. Voters will have until 8 p.m. March 10 to return their ballots. 

 For more information about Washington’s 2020 presidential primary, visitsos.wa.gov/elections/voters/presidential-primary-faqs-.aspx.