SEATTLE — Washington's primary election day is this Tuesday, Aug. 6. The top two vote-getters in each contest will advance to the general election in November.
As of Friday evening, statewide data shows nearly 16% of primary ballots had been returned. In last year's primary, there was only a 29% turnout overall; the year prior, there was a 40% turnout of registered voters.
"With so many issues going on today, I feel like it's more important for me to know exactly what these politicians are really standing on nowadays," said Alex Nguyen, a 24-year-old Washington voter.
Registered voter Nguyen told KING 5 Sunday he had not yet returned his primary ballot. But Nguyen is not alone: in his age group, 18-24, data from the Washington Secretary of State shows only 5.3% had returned theirs by Friday evening.
"I plan on doing it later today," he said on Sunday.
By contrast, in the 65 and over age group, more than 32% had returned theirs by Friday, according to the state. The age bracket below that has the next-highest turnout so far, at 17.6%.
"I just ended up filling it out last night," said Daniel Becker, a 62-year-old registered voter from Washington. "I've been voting since I was 18. I don't think I've missed an election."
In terms of county percentages, Jefferson County-- home to Port Townsend-- is in the lead right now with more than 27% of ballots returned. At the bottom of that list, at this point, is Grant County.
"You can't really complain about how you're living if you don't contribute to the voices to make a difference," said Imani Jackson, a 23-year-old Washington voter.
Ballots that are postmarked by Tuesday will be accepted. However, if you did not mail your ballot by Friday, the U.S. Postal Service recommends using one of the county drop boxes.
Drop boxes are open to accept ballots 24 hours a day until 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
"The younger generations are definitely more outspoken. So that surprises me that we're more quiet in the voting sense," said Mollie Janousek, a registered voter who is 23 years old.
"I'm gonna send it in as soon as I can," added Janousek.
"We like to procrastinate in this generation," said her friend, Jackson, with a laugh. "So don't blame us. We'll probably get there eventually."
Nguyen said he hopes more young people realize the importance of voting in the primary.
"Voting will matter in the next couple of years," he said.
Ahead of Election Day, he's spending his time reading up on candidates, "to think about who [he's] really voting on this year."