Washingtons acting Secretary of State says it was worth holding the presidential primary in May.
Washington's secretary of state says it was worth holding the presidential primary in May. Derek Hatfield/Shutterstock

A record 1.4 million voters cast ballots in the Washington Presidential Primary on May 24 because they wanted their voices to be heard. Despite the late date, the Presidential Primary engaged far more voters than did the much-criticized caucus process.

Nearly 800,000 Democrats and 600,000 Republicans returned their primary ballots compared to the 300,000 or so who attended caucuses. Ordinary citizens, and not just political activists, gladly took part.

The Presidential Primary, a citizen initiative adopted by a strong bipartisan vote in the Legislature, provides an inclusive opportunity for voters to be heard. No matter which party we choose to associate with, we should all agree that no one ever be denied the right to participate simply because they can’t attend a caucus meeting.

That’s not to say the process doesn’t have its own pitfalls: The late date of the primary meant both presumptive nominees had already emerged for the two major political parties. To participate, Washington law requires voters to publicly declare their party affiliation.

I believe that the May Presidential Primary was worth holding, because it gave voters a voice. Next time, however, it should be held earlier in the process.

Not everyone agrees. In early May, my opponent called on me to unilaterally cancel the Presidential Primary. Her demand not only demonstrated a lack of knowledge of state law, but also underscored her lack of understanding of the role of the Secretary of State.

As Secretary, I do not have the authority to cancel an election, nor should I. Only the Legislature may suspend the Presidential Primary, and in 2015, both houses and both parties funded it in the budget that Governor Jay Inslee signed.

By the time my opponent issued her call to cancel the election, it was well under way. Our military and overseas voters had been voting for a month and nearly all other ballots had been mailed. Even if it had been possible, cancelling the Presidential Primary in May would have been a chaotic exercise and would have stifled the voice of the people.

It calls into question why a candidate for the state’s top elections office would propose initiating such a massive voter suppression effort. Voting is a good thing.

Upon learning cancellation was not possible, my opponent denigrated the Presidential Primary as a Republican list-building exercise. Interesting attack, considering both parties benefit equally from this list of self-identified voters—and more primary voters identified themselves as Democrats!

This election was worth holding and we can make it better in the future.

In 2015, I led an effort to move Washington’s Presidential Primary to March and to get the state parties to allocate delegates based on its results. Unfortunately, this bill did not get out of the Legislature and later in the year, the state Democratic Party and Democratic caucus leadership blocked progress on both counts. They chose to use the caucus system to allocate national convention delegates and refused to support the voter-friendly effort to move the primary to an earlier date.

Caucuses can still be an excellent way to engage citizens and build parties, but using them to allocate delegates denies many of our voters the right to express themselves on who should be President. I concur with state Senator Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, that the Presidential Primary expands access and better reflects the voice of the population.

This year, even with its very late date and reduced suspense, the primary still engaged 1.4 million votes—a record high number. Those voters matter. That is why I will work with both political parties, the Legislature and my colleagues in neighboring states to hold a Western regional primary in early March 2020, to provide the region’s voters with an even stronger voice.

We must move Washington’s Presidential Primary to the second Tuesday in March and encourage both parties to use the results to allocate delegates. I call on both parties to work toward this goal. Together, we can make our Presidential Primary more meaningful for more voters. Let’s keep Washington’s status as a national leader in voting, and make our Presidential Primary the best it can be.

Kim Wyman (R) is Washington’s Secretary of State.