Endorsements & Judicial Candidate Forum – Regular June Meeting Cancelled

The district has cancelled our general membership meeting in June and replaced it with a Judicial Candidate Forum on Sunday, June 8th at 12:30 in the afternoon.  We created this forum to increase the quantity and the quality of information available to voters about judicial candidates.  By offering an opportunity for voters to meet judicial candidates, people will be able to make more informed decisions during the primary elections.  The tentative meeting location is the Green Lake Public Library: 7364 E. Green Lake Dr. N., Seattle, WA 98115.  The Green Lake Branch has a meeting room that is wheelchair-accessible and has a maximum occupancy of 99 people.  We may move the meeting in the event that we need a bigger space.

We plan on inviting voters from across King County.  At the conclusion of the forum, we will hold our Primary Endorsements meeting.  In addition to the judicial races, Congressman Jim McDermott, Governor Christine Gregoire, Lt. Governor Brad Owen, Auditor Brian Sonntag, Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, and  are seeking re-election.  Democrats are challenging the current Republican incumbents of Secretary of State, Commissioner of Public Lands, and Attorney General.  In addition, the Mike Murphy is retiring as Treasurer and Democratic State Representative Jim McIntire is seeking his position.  The non-partisan office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, held by Terry Bergeson, is also subject to election.  All candidates seeking our endorsement must fill out a candidate questionnaire.  Endorsement rules will be posted on our website: www. 43rddems.org

Do I have to register as a Democrat to participate in the caucuses?

Washington State does not register voters by party affiliation, therefore it is impossible for anyone to "register as a Democrat."  Many people who are interested in the caucuses have been worried that because their voter registration card does not list a party, they are not going to be able to caucus.  Our phone lines and email have been flooded with folks who want to know how to "register as a Democrat."  Thus we have explained in our FAQ section that no one needs to "register as a Democrat" in order to participate.  You can read the FAQ section in our blog for more information on this point.

There is, however, a second issue with regard to party affiliation that may confuse some people.  In order to make sure that every person who participates in the Democratic caucuses is in fact a Democrat and eligible to vote in the general election, we require people to affirm that (a) they are a Democrat, and (b) they are a registered voter (or if 17 will be a registered voter by November).  No ID is necessary, just an affirmation that you will sign on the check-in sheet when you arrive at your caucus location.