2020 will be first year for meaningful presidential primary in Washington

On the day after the Iowa caucuses debacle, we asked Tina Podlodowski, the chair of the Washington State Democrats, how it ranked in her range of nightmares.

"I think it's an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10," she said.

Like Iowa, Washington has a long tradition of presidential caucuses, though ours have come as late as May, sometimes after a nominee has been chosen.

In a decision finalized last year, in 2020, Washington is abandoning caucuses for appointing delegates, turning instead to a March 10 primary, a week after Super Tuesday.

"People will still be looking for delegates,; it will not be over by then," Podlodowski said. "This gives Washington State, I think, the best opportunity ever to have a strong voice in selecting our next president."

Washington has also had a presidential primary for years, but it was mostly a meaningless beauty contest with delegates appointed in the caucuses.

Podlodowski said a primary will not only avoid Iowa-type caucus problems, but be more accessible for voters, making it more likely that people will participate.

"The principle of making sure everyone has their voice and every vote is counted in Washington State I think will give us our biggest turnout ever in a presidential primary," Podlodowski said.

To participate, voters will need to declare their party preference on the return envelope.

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