Washington's Caucuses Matter

There is no presidential primary this year. The state legislature replaced the traditional primary with the caucus system as a cost-cutting measure.

On Saturday, March 3, the Washington State Republican Party will hold caucuses statewide beginning at 10:00 a.m. Writes political strategist Anthony Welcher:

"This will be the first caucus in our state in decades that will not compete for attention with a primary. As a result, it's imperative for us to turnout our friends and family that may normally pass on spending several hours of their time on a given Saturday participating in the oldest and one of the most engaging forms of democracy in our nation. It's clear the presidential campaigns see Washington's value in the race for the nomination because by this weekend all 4 of the top contenders will have visited the state in the last 3 weeks. It's a unique year for Washington, especially since our caucuses fall only 3 days before Super Tuesday!"

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Caucuses are conducted by precinct. If you don't know what precinct you're in, check your voter registration card or contact the county auditor's office.

For a list of GHRP County Caucuses, click here.

NO Presidential Primary in 2012: 'Get Thee To a Caucus!'

If you plan to camp out at your mail box and await the arrival of a presidential primary ballot for 2012, you'll have a long wait. There won't be one. That's because the Washington state legislature has approved a bill to suspend the 2012 presidential primary, "to save much-needed revenue."

Rather than a traditional presidential primary, Washington will have a caucus system next year. Your voice will be crucial. If you want to have a say in who the 2012 GOP presidential nominee will be, attend your local caucus on March 3.

See Mark Paulsen, Caucus and Convention Chair, for details as they become available.

For more, see: Legislature Cancels 2012 Presidential Primary.