About 28.6% of the state’s 4.4 million registered voters participated in the August primary, according to the Washington Secretary of State’s Office.
Deputy Secretary of State Randy Bolerjack certified the August primary on Aug. 20.
This year also was the first time that the state separately tracked statistics for those 17-year-olds eligible to vote through the state’s Future Voter program. In this program, 17-year-olds who will turn 18 by General Election Day are eligible to vote. About 16.9% — or 1,292 of 7,611 — 17-year-olds in the program cast a ballot in the primary.
While the number of 17-year-old Future Voters is small compared to the 1.2 million ballots returned in the primary, they returned their ballots at a greater percentage than voters 18 to 24 (13.2%) or voters 25 to 34 (15.5%), according to the state’s ballot return statistics dashboard.
The top two vote-getters in each race on the primary ballot will face off in the General Election on Nov. 4. General Election ballots will be mailed to voters by Oct. 17.
Washington residents can register to vote in the General Election online or by mail by Oct. 27, or a resident can register in person at their local county elections office until 8 p.m. Election Day.
