WA state has less than 3% of the vote on Democrats’ new presidential nominee. Here’s why

With less than one month to go before the Democratic National Convention, where the party usually takes the largely ceremonial step of certifying its presidential nomination, recent news from President Joe Biden has turned the tables.

Biden announced Sunday that he will not be seeking reelection after all, dropping out of the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris less than four months before the presidential election in November.

So the selection of Biden’s replacement as the Democratic candidate will come down to a vote (or votes) of the delegates chosen for the convention, most of whom were expected to back Biden but are now free to vote for anyone.

With the outcome suddenly in doubt, exactly how much power does Washington state hold in this process? About 2.8% of the vote.

The Democratic Party bylaws say the number of delegates allocated to every state is determined by a formula that gives “equal weight to population … and to the Democratic vote in elections for the office of President.”

The total number of delegates at the convention across all states is 3,939. State representation ranges from 11 delegates representing territories like American Samoa and 495 in California.

Washington: 111 delegates

Washington state is sending 111 delegates to the convention in August. The state’s Democratic Party delegates include elected officials, party leaders and Democratic volunteers.

Among nearly 4,000 total delegates, Washington state’s voice in the Democratic nominating process accounts for 2.8%.

That roughly aligns with Washington’s relative population, which was about 2.3% of the country in the 2020 Census, and the number of Washingtonians who supported Joe Biden in 2020, about 2.9% of the president’s total vote.

Washingtonians will have more say in the process to elect the final presidential winner: The Evergreen State controls 12 votes in the 538-member Electoral College, or about 2.2%. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win.

Who are delegates obligated to vote for?

Biden won Washington’s presidential preference primaries in the spring, with 83.5% of the Democratic vote. So the majority of the states’ delegations would be expected to back him.

It’s important to note that even if Biden was still in the race, delegates are not required to select the candidate who won the state’s vote.

The Democratic Party Delegate Selection Plan states that all delegates should cast their vote to “reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.”

The Democratic National Convention is Aug. 19 to 22 in Chicago.