1. (1) Each registered voter desiring to participate in the presidential primary of a major party that requires a declaration shall subscribe to the declaration in order for their vote to be counted.
2. (2) If the voter selected a political party declaration, a notation of the party selected must be made in the voter's registration file.

3. (3) If the voter fails to submit a marked and signed political party declaration on the return ballot envelope, the auditor shall send at least one notice by either mail or email and advise the voter of the correct procedures for completing the declaration. If a voter submits a marked and signed political party declaration by the day before the primary is certified, the voter's ballot may be counted if all other requirements are met.

   Exception:

   A political party selection on a federal write-in absentee ballot form substitutes for the political party declaration.

4. (4) Ballots must be sorted according to major party declaration choice before removal from the return envelope. Once a ballot is removed from the return envelope and secrecy envelope, it must be inspected and processed consistent with the party declaration. Ballots that have been removed from the return and secrecy envelopes must be processed and stored by party.
5. (5) If the voter writes in a candidate name, the ballot should be processed in the same manner as WAC 434-262-160, however only votes for candidates contained on an official party list of write-in candidates may be counted.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 29A.04.611. WSR 19-20-115, § 434-219-230, filed 10/2/19, effective 11/2/19; WSR 15-24-001, § 434-219-230, filed 11/18/15, effective 12/19/15. Statutory Authority: RCW 29A.04.611, 29A.04.620, and 29A.04.630. WSR 11-24-064, § 434-219-230, filed 12/6/11, effective 1/6/12. Statutory Authority: RCW 29A.04.611. WSR 07-24-044, § 434-219-230, filed 11/30/07, effective 12/31/07. Statutory Authority: RCW 29.19.070. WSR 03-23-093, § 434-219-230, filed 11/17/03, effective 12/18/03; WSR 00-03-003, § 434-219-230, filed 1/6/00, effective 2/6/00; WSR 96-03-141, recodified as § 434-219-230, filed 1/24/96, effective 2/24/96; WSR 91-18-012, § 434-75-230, filed 8/26/91, effective 9/26/91.]