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"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
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[Seattle Times:] Take back primary through I-872
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| Parent(s) |
Race
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| Contributor | Ralphie |
| Last Edited | Ralphie Oct 18, 2004 03:27pm |
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| Category | Endorsement |
| Media | Newspaper - Seattle Times |
| News Date | Wednesday, October 6, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Washington voters should take back control of their state primary by approving Initiative 872.
Thank the state Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties for Washington's Sept. 14 primary, the first in 70 years where voters had to limit themselves to the choices of only one party. Nearly 80 percent of voters said they didn't like it, one election-day survey showed. The federal courts threw out Washington's popular blanket primary after the three parties successfully argued it violated their rights by letting non-party members select who would represent each party on the ballot.
But in Washington, a state where more than a third of voters identify themselves as independents, the blanket primary made for better representative government with more moderate candidates who appealed to a broad cross-section of voters. It was a hallmark of Washington's populist impulse.
With their litigation, the parties stole the right of citizens to vote for the best candidate for the job. Instead, voters must confine themselves to the best among one party's offerings.
So the answer is to remove party from consideration entirely. |
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