Washington's presidential primary results weren't surprising. So, what's motivating voters?

The results of Tuesday's presidential primary elections in Washington, and elsewhere, were to be expected.

Former President Donald Trump is the Republican Party's presumptive nominee thanks to the delegates he won in Washington. He will almost certainly face President Joe Biden, who won enough delegates for the Democratic nod afternoon after Georgia's polls closed.

The only real question was how much of the Democratic primary vote would go to "uncommitted delegates" instead of Biden. "Uncommitted" voters in Washington and other states have said they want to pressure Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza by withholding their support. And it's also been part of an effort to simply get voters to participate in the primaries.

RELATED: How did Washington's 'uncommitted' voters do on presidential primary night?

When the "uncommitted" campaign launched in Washington, members said they'd heard from Democrats who were throwing their ballots away rather than returning them. They felt their votes didn't matter, because a Biden-Trump rematch seemed a foregone conclusion, or they just weren't excited about their choices.

Political and public affairs consultant Sandeep Kaushik with Soundview Strategies told KUOW's Soundside he wasn't sure how meaningful the "uncommitted" vote ultimately was, especially since Washington state will almost certainly go for Biden in the general election.

But without any real "suspense" in the primary, it was "a free vote to register a protest" for voters who have felt inspired to take some action.

More votes have yet to be counted, too, so the vote percentage that protest campaign won could change.

RELATED: Washington state's 2024 election results

In any case, Kaushik is looking ahead to November now, and what it could mean to have Trump on the other side of the presidential contest.

"Recent history has shown that, here in Washington state, having Trump on the ballot has been a disaster for the Republican Party," he said.

Having Trump as the Republican "anchor" in down-ballot races could be awkward, he said, especially in the race to be Washington's next governor. Republican Dave Reichert is running for the seat.

"And he's already having some awkwardness or trouble articulating where exactly he stands on Trump," Kaushik said of Reichert. "That tells you a lot about the problem that Trump presents for down-ballot Republican candidates."

Political consultant Crystal Fincher with Fincher Consulting said that intra-party tension is a bigger problem for Republicans than what Democrats are getting from "uncommitted" voters. Those Democratic voters are still ideologically aligned with Biden on most issues, she said, while some Republican candidates and their voters in Washington are "running away from Donald Trump."

RELATED: These Washington Democrats are voting 'uncommitted' to send message to Biden

"They've been struggling with this for a while, and the problem seems to be getting worse," Fincher said. "They certainly have their work cut out for them just to figure out who they are and to navigate the seeming disconnect between their donor class and their base of voters."

So, what exactly is motivating voters in Washington? Soundside heard from several listeners about why they voted in the presidential primary.

One voter said she used to be a Republican, though she doesn't "recognize that party any longer." She decided to vote in the Republican primary, casting a vote for Nikki Haley even though she dropped out of the race earlier this month. The voter said she plans to vote for Biden in November.

"Like some people, I'm not incredibly excited about Joe Biden," she said in a voicemail message to Soundside. "I just feel where Trump, if he was elected, would take this country — it's just unimaginable."

Another voter who called in to Soundside echoed that fear and said an "uncommitted" vote wouldn't do enough to prevent "the alternative," Trump.

Still, the "uncommitted" campaign did motivate at least one voter we heard from. That voter said Biden needs to know that many Democrats oppose funding "ethnic cleansing and genocide" in Palestine.

"So, an 'uncommitted' vote, even though the primary is over and Biden has the nomination, an 'uncommitted' vote still does mean something," she said.

Votes are still being counted. Find the results here.

Editor's note: KUOW's Chief Digital Officer Rami Al-Kabra is also the elected deputy mayor of Bothell and a spokesperson for the "uncommitted” campaign. His work at KUOW is not related to his work as an elected official and he has no involvement in KUOW's news gathering.