Washington Secretary of State election, 2020 (August 4 top-two primary)
- Primary date: Aug. 4
- Primary type: Top-two
- Registration deadline(s): Aug. 3
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Early voting starts: July 17[1]
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Aug. 4 (received)
- Voter ID: Photo ID
- Poll times: Varies locally[1]
2024 →
← 2016
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| Washington Secretary of State |
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| Top-two primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: May 15, 2020 |
| Primary: August 4, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent(s): Kim Wyman (R) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: Poll opening hours vary; close at 8 p.m. (most voting done by mail) Voting in Washington |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2020 Impact of term limits in 2020 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020 |
| Washington executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
A top-two primary took place on August 4, 2020, in Washington to determine which two candidates would earn the right to run in the state's secretary of state election on November 3, 2020.
Incumbent Kim Wyman and Gael Tarleton advanced from the primary for Washington Secretary of State.
This page focuses on Washington's top-two secretary of state primary. For more in-depth information on Washington's general election, see the following page:
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Washington made no changes to its primary election.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and election results
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Washington Secretary of State
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kim Wyman (R) | 50.9 | 1,238,455 |
| ✔ |  | Gael Tarleton (D) | 43.3 | 1,053,584 |
 | Ed Minger (Independent)  | 3.6 | 87,982 | |
| Gentry Lange (Progressive Party of Washington State) | 2.1 | 51,826 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 1,919 | ||
| Total votes: 2,433,766 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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State profile
| Demographic data for Washington | ||
|---|---|---|
| Washington | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 7,160,290 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 66,456 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 77.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 3.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 7.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 5.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 12% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 90.4% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 32.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $61,062 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 14.4% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Washington. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Washington
Washington voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Washington, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[2]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Washington had four Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 2.21 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Washington coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Washington
- United States congressional delegations from Washington
- Public policy in Washington
- Endorsers in Washington
- Washington fact checks
- More...
See also
| Washington | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
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State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
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