Sec. of State Wyman endorses bill to add “unaffiliated” option during state’s presidential primaries

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A bill introduced into the state Legislature last week would give unaffiliated voters a voice in presidential primaries.

House Bill 1265 gives voters the option of not declaring party affiliation and would allow unaffiliated votes to qualify and be counted for the primary.

Secretary of State Kim Wyman says the bill gives unaffiliated voters more freedom of choice and in turn will increase voter participation.

Currently state law requires voters to mark and sign the party declaration on their ballot envelope and vote for a candidate according to their declared affiliation.