For Democratic Party voters, the March 26 caucus is your only chance to have your say in the nomination — your vote in the (May) primary has zero affect on how the Democrats allot delegates to the candidates.

The presidential primary “system” in Washington state may be the most confusing in the country. That’s because both parties have a caucus and, months later the state has a primary (by mail, May 6-24). The GOP caucus was Feb. 20; the Democratic caucus is March 26.

However, the GOP arguably has the more democratic approach; for the first time in 2016 it is allotting all its delegates based on the primary vote. If you actually want a say in the Democratic nominee, mark your calendar for March 26 (10 a.m.) and plan to attend the caucus. To identify your precinct and caucus location, visit www.demcaucus.com/register.

If you are not already registered to vote, you can register at the caucus (or better yet, do it online: weiapplets.sos.wa.gov/myvote?Org=WADems. Any 17-year-old who will be 18 on or before Nov. 8 is also eligible to attend, and vote, at the caucus. For more information, visit www.wa-democrats.org/caucus

Dorene Robinson

Bellevue