IT'S VOTING TIME.
If you've already voted, then congratulations! You're in the minority.
According to King County Elections (KCE), only 23% of registered voters have already returned their ballots for the March 12 Presidential Primary—you know, the one between Joe Biden and uncommitted delegates, and Donald Trump vs a bunch of people who have dropped out of the race.
The elections department expects turnout to hit 40%, and spokesperson Halei Watkins believes the county is on track to hit that number, but that's still less than half of people voting! Less than half is bad!
You know what's also bad? As usual, people over 65 years of age make up the vast majority of ballot returns:
Bleak!
But don't worry, there's still time to turn this bar graph around.
If you're registered to vote at your current address, then your ballot should be sitting in your mailbox, or hanging out among the other mail in your drop pile, or perhaps in the tub. If you can't find your ballot, then no prob—you can print out a new one here.
Once you have a ballot, then fill it out the way The Stranger told you to. This one's super easy! You just rip open the envelope, fill in the "uncommitted delegates" bubble on the Democratic side of the ballot using whichever pen you'd like, tear off your stub so you can track your ballot, stuff the completed ballot in its little Hot Pocket sleeve, stuff all that into your envelope, mark the Democratic Party preference box on the envelope, sign it, date it, and then drop it in a nearby drop box by 8 pm.
For you Ballard-area voters, KCE has installed a second drop box at the Ballard Branch Library location—the busiest box in town—so have no fear of delays! (If you drop your ballot in the mailbox, then your mail carrier may not get to it in time, so just use the drop boxes at this point.)
Why vote "uncommitted delegates?" Read here. Short version: we want Joe Biden to beat Donald Trump in the general election, and if he doesn't stop the war crimes in Palestine, then he'll lose. Though we all know Donald Trump and Joe Biden will very likely run away with this thing, voting "uncommitted" could go a long way in ending US complicity in genocide. The option needs to capture at least 15% of the vote share before the state party starts sending delegates to the Democratic National Convention in August to make some noise for Palestine.
Why mark the Democratic Party preference box on your envelope? Because state law requires it! Don't worry—marking the Dem box doesn't make you a Democrat for life, or even a Democrat at all, for that matter. It helps the elections department sort the ballots. So do it!
But if you didn't do it, then you're not alone. There are already a TON of outstanding challenges this election mostly from people not wanting to select a party. To resolve that issue, enter this online portal and turn in your completed form—with the appropriate party box checked and your signature on the line—by March 21 at 4:30 pm.
If you are not registered to vote, then go visit a voting center some time between 8:30 am and 8 pm today.
Not sure if you're registered to vote? Then check your status here. Be ready with ID and the last four digits of your social security number.
Already voted? Then send this post to a busy/lazy/detached friend who you KNOW hasn't voted yet, and make yourself feel extra good about your level of civic engagement.
