Republicans in Whatcom County without updated voter registrations won't be able to participate in the precinct-level caucuses on March 3.
Here is why: The Republican Party limits caucus participation to people who are registered to vote and who have updated addresses. But the Whatcom County Auditor's Office can't legally process new voter registrations or changes of address right now because of the Feb. 14 special election, which includes school district levies and a Ferndale sales tax measure.
They can't start until after the election is certified on Feb. 28, county elections supervisor Pete Griffin said. They won't have enough time between then and the caucuses to process them.
The office has no way to tell how many people might be affected, he said.
Luanne Van Werven, chairwoman of the Whatcom Republicans, said she doubts many people are affected.
During the March 3 caucuses, people who consider themselves Republicans will gather in various locations around the county and select delegates to attend the county-level caucus. The delegates won't be bound to supporting a particular candidate for the Republican nomination for president (later, when delegates are selected at the state convention, they'll be bound to their candidate preference).
The March 3 caucuses and selection of delegates will be organized by precinct, with each precinct getting a certain number of delegates to select. The party uses voter registration data to ensure people live in the precinct caucus in which they're participating.
Voters' changes of addresses have been processed through mid-January. People who have never before registered to vote in Washington state and who went into the Auditor's Office to register in person by Feb. 6 also have had their registrations processed.
The Democratic Party lets people register to vote at the caucuses and still participate, even though county elections officials wouldn't have had time to process the registrations and ensure they're valid. Democratic Party precinct caucuses occur April 15.
The Republicans don't allow same-day registration and participation, Van Werven said.
GOP March 3 caucus participants are encouraged to bring their voter ID cards to expedite registration at the front desks, she said. But if people don't have their ID cards, volunteers will confirm their registration and correct location using the Auditor's Office database, she said.
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CAUCUS LOCATIONS
• Here's a spreadsheet (XLS) of March 3 caucus locations and where to go from your precinct.
• To find your precinct, go to co.whatcom.wa.us/auditor. Click on the link for election division, then on 2012 elections in the left rail. Select the link to "Maps, Political & Taxing" and choose the one that fits your area.
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