TACOMA -- Washington Democrats may end their longtime practice of using precinct caucuses to nominate a presidential candidate, their party leader said today.

After weeks of criticism about confusion and lack of participation, State Party Chairman Jaxon Ravens opened the state convention with a suggestion they will switch to the primary system in 2020.

Ravens defended the 2016 precinct caucuses, which drew an estimated 250,000 people to meetings across the state in March as "the largest in the United States. . .  and very probably the largest in history."

But the complicated process uses volunteers to organize and operate, he said.

"It's pretty clear we have outgrown the precinct caucus," Ravens said, adding he was putting together a subcommittee to change the party to a different system that would be "more open, like the primary system we've got."

He didn't say the party would definitely use the state presidential primary for determining the split of delegates for presidential nominees. In the past Democrats have refused to use that system because Washington voters do not register by party, which means non-Democrats can help select the party's nominee.

This year, however, voters who participated in the state's presidential primary were required to check a box on the ballot envelope that said they were either a Democrat or a Republican, and mark their ballot for a candidate from that party.

Jaxon suggested Democrats would not entirely abandon precinct caucuses, citing a "need to talk to our neighbors about the values we care about."

That could result in a system similar to what Washington Republicans used this year, with caucuses the starting point for getting to the state convention where national delegates for president were selected, but the division of those national delegates determined by the results of the May 24 presidential primary.

 

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