By Alison Jones, Chair, Pima County Democratic Party
There’s an important Arizona election on March 17 that will help choose the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, and it’s not a primary.
Every four years, Arizona holds a Presidential Preference Election (PPE), which differs from a primary in one significant way: A PPE determines how many delegates each candidate gets at the national party convention. Primaries are winner-take-all.
This year, only Democrats get to choose among the 18 candidates on the ballot. Republicans and Libertarians aren’t holding PPEs, and the Green. Party no longer qualifies as an official Arizona party.
Who can vote in the PPE? Only registered Democrats. Many “no party,’’ aka independent, voters, learned that the hard way in 2016, when poll workers turned them away. The Arizona Legislature made this rule, not the Democratic Party.
The good news is that there’s an easy fix for anyone who isn’t a Democrat but wants to vote in the PPE: Update your registration by February 18. If you hold a valid Arizona driver’s license or Motor Vehicle Division ID, you can do so at https://servicearizona.com/voterRegistration?popularclick. Call the Pima County Recorder’s office, 520-724-4350, for more information. After March 18, you can switch back.
Your vote is your voice!
