Joe Biden wins Washington's Democratic Presidential Primary Election, AP projects

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FILE - US President Joe Biden speaks on how "Bidenomics" is helping clean energy and manufacturing, at Arcosa Wind Towers in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on August 9, 2023. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

President Joe Biden is expected to win in Washington State in the 2024 Democratic Presidential Primary Election, the Associated Press projects.

Washington is one of four states (Georgia, Hawaii and Mississippi, being the others) holding Presidential Primaries on Tuesday, March 12. Hawaii had its Democratic Presidential Primary last week.

Ahead of the polls closing in Washington, President Joe Biden already won the 1,968 delegates needed to secure his party's presidential nomination in the upcoming primary and general elections.

Trump, however, clinched his nomination with 30 delegates from Washington.

While securing the nomination is a formality for an incumbent president, it also allows Biden's campaign to stave off competition and shows widespread unity among Democratic electorates.

Impact of ‘uncommitted votes'

The Presidential Primary is the only election in Washington that requires voters to mark and sign party declarations written by the major political parties. Your ballot is divided into two sides: Democratic Party (blue) and Republican Party (red). You must vote for one candidate from the political party you marked on your envelope.

However, your ballot will also have an option to vote for "uncommitted delegates."

A vote for "uncommitted delegates" allows uncommitted delegates who represent Washington to decide during their national convention later this year, according to the Washington Secretary of State.

Last week, almost a fifth of votes cast in Minnesota's Democratic Presidential Primary were for "uncommittted delegates." This move comes as a form of protest to Israel's war in Gaza, and particularly, Biden's handling of it. An "uncommitted vote" is one less for Biden, which advocates hope will be a loud message for the President, despite the fact that he has already clinched his delegates.

When polls closed on Tuesday, 20 uncommitted Democratic delegates were counted.

The uncommitted option was requested by the Democratic Party. It was not requested by the Republican Party.

Voters could select one candidate or the uncommitted option, but not both.

Who was on the ballot

Back in January, the Washington Secretary of State announced candidate lists were complete. The state Democratic Party submitted three candidate names: Joseph R. Biden Jr., Dean Phillips, and Marianne Williamson. The Washington State Republican Party submitted five candidate names for the Presidential Primary: Donald J. Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Chris Christie.

While some candidates have dropped out of the race, their names will still appear on the printed ballots.

In the November General Election, you do not need to declare a party and you can choose any candidate. Washington has 12 Electoral College votes, the 13th most of any state.