Last-minute voters wait in long lines to register, cast ballots in Wash. State presidential primary

Lines snaked through the hallways of Seattle's downtown vote center as last-minute voters registered and cast their ballots Tuesday in the Washington presidential primary.

People waited in lines that officials estimated could last an hour or more, hoping to make their votes count as Washington cast ballots to determine where the state's 89 delegates would go. The Democratic primary race, once a field of more than 20 candidates vying for the nomination, has largely come down to two front-runners: former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders. The only Republican on the Washington ballot is President Donald Trump.

"Anytime we have presidents on the ballot, people want to turn out," said Leland Buchanan, with King County Elections.

He said the vote center in downtown Seattle starting seeing lines at about noon Tuesday and they have continued to grow throughout the day. Washington is a vote-by-mail state, but people who need to register or update information can do so at the voter centers throughout the county throughout the day.

Several voters casting their ballots Tuesday said they were supporting Sanders, and were optimistic he would garner enough support to receive Washington's delegates. People cited Sanders' policies relating to healthcare, the environment and education as reasons they were standing behind him.

"I'd like to have healthcare and not owe thousands of dollars in student debt," said Elizabeth Pledl, who was waiting in line to vote Tuesday.

Jonathan Tune, who was passing his time in line by playing several games of chess on his phone, similarly talked about Sanders' views on healthcare as a big reason he's supporting the Vermont senator.

"It feels like there's a chance to have a very progressive candidate," he said.

Sanders or Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who dropped out of the Democratic primary last week after Super Tuesday, were his top choices, he said. Tune said when making a decision, he was waiting to see who would end up on top.

But, in the long run, he's not very hopeful.

"I'm a pessimist," he said. "I think it's going to be a big disappointment for everybody."

He predicted Sanders wouldn't clinch the nomination, and that Democrats would lose the presidential election this year, too. He said regardless, he plans to vote for the Democratic candidate who wins the nomination.

Oscar Romero, who had one of the last places in line at about 6 p.m. Tuesday, said he wouldn't be so quick to support the eventual Democratic nominee. Romero said he, too, is supporting Sanders. He said he likes Sanders' policies relating to education, and believes everyone, if they're capable, should be able to pursue higher education. He also supports Sanders on healthcare, and previously backed the candidate in 2016.

Romero said he knows there are arguments about how Sanders is going to implement the policies he has proposed, but he thinks the candidate's ideas have the most merit and is hopeful he will be able to pursue them if he gets into office.

And if Biden gets the eventual nomination, Romero said he wouldn't support the former vice president. Biden might be the lesser of two evils when compared to President Donald Trump, he said, but he'd likely vote third party if it came down to a Biden-Trump race.

Jessica Clark, who brought her ballot to a ballot dropbox downtown Tuesday, similarly said she'd have to think about whether or not she'd vote for the nominee if it were Biden. Clark said she's backing Sanders because he has policies that will benefit those who are underrepresented, and people across the board. She said she's hopeful he'll get a lot of support in Washington.

But she raised some concerns about Biden. She said he's "probably the slight lesser of two evils," but she has issues with some of his policies, and thinks it could hurt the party if he is only planning to serve one term.

Nikoli Stevens, who came to the downtown ballot dropbox with a friend Tuesday, cast his vote days ago, when Warren was still in the race. He voted for the Massachusetts senator, saying he strongly supported her policies relating to the environment, the primary issue he's voting on. But he regrets voting early, he said.

Now that Warren has left the race, he's rooting for Sanders, he said. And if Sanders doesn't get the nomination, he'll support Biden, if that's the choice.

"He's definitely better than Trump," he said.

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