Presidential Primary Election March 12

It’s time to pick your candidate for the coming presidential election.

According to Amanda Boehler, the election coordinator for the Wahkiakum County Auditor, the ballots for the presidential primary election were mailed on February 23.

"There is a lot of confusion surrounding this election as it only happens once every four years,” Boehler said recently. “It is the only time that a voter must declare a party, Republican or Democrat, and they must choose a candidate from the party that they declare on their envelope. Their party preference stays on their record for 60 days and then is no longer saved and does not become a part of their voter record.”

"Participating in the presidential primary election does not have any affect on whether or not [a voter] will be able to participate in the November general election," she added. "It is specifically an election put on by the parties to elect their presidential candidate for the general election.”

If you haven’t registered to vote and would like a ballot, there is still time, and it can be done online, by mail, or by visiting the Auditor’s Office in the Wahkiakum County Courthouse.

“The last day to register online or by mail is March 4 and the last day for in person registration is March 12, Election Day,” Boehler wrote in an email. “We will be open from 7:00 am until 8:00 pm.”

Completed ballots can be returned by mail, or placed in ballot boxes located at Johnson Park, the Skamokawa Resort, outside the Wahkiakum County Courthouse, or in the Auditor’s office. The ballot must be postmarked no later than Election Day, March 12, or returned to a ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on March 12.