POULSBO — Iowans have made their choices. New Hampshire’s votes are being touted by the winners and analyzed by pundits.
Now, it’s Kitsap County’s turn.
Kitsap County’s Republicans and Democrats will caucus in February and March, the first step the political parties in Washington state use to select their presidential nominees.
Kitsap County Republicans
Republican Party precinct caucuses begin at 10 a.m. on Feb. 20. County chairman Chris Tibbs asks that participants arrive at 9. For caucus locations, go to www.kitsapgop.com.
At the precinct caucus, participants will select delegates to the Kitsap County GOP Convention April 2. The county conventions will elect delegates to the state convention May 19-21 in Pasco, where delegates to the national convention will be elected by congressional district and on an at-large (statewide) basis. At each level (county, state, national) other issues — such as party platform and rules — will be decided.
The presidential primary is May 24, when Republicans vote for their favorite candidates using a mail-in ballot. Using a proportional formula, the results (from the 10 congressional districts and also statewide) will determine the vote of the state’s delegates at the national convention. At the national convention, if no candidate is chosen on the first ballot, delegates will not be bound by the primary results on successive ballots.
Kitsap County Democrats
The procedure used by the Washington State Democratic Party for electing delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention is established by the Delegate Selection and Affirmative Action Plan approved by the Washington State Democratic Central Committee on April 18, 2015 and by the Democratic National Committee on Sept. 11, 2015.
The precinct caucuses are 10 a.m. March 26. For precinct caucus locations, go to www.kitsapdemocrats.com.
The legislative districts will caucus at the party’s county convention at 1 p.m. May 1 at Olympic High School in Bremerton. The 6th Congressional District caucus is scheduled for May 21, time to be determined, in Suquamish. The state convention is scheduled for June 17-19 in Tacoma. The national convention will take place June 25-28 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
