Non Partisan Elections?

Grange: Abolish party labels in state voting
But key legislator says the plan is dead on arrival

By DAVID AMMONS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OLYMPIA -- The state Grange, still hoping to scuttle Washington's unpopular "pick-a-party" primary election system, is promoting a plan to make all of the state's political offices non-partisan, including governor and seats in the Legislature.

A key lawmaker said Thursday that the plan is dead on arrival in the Legislature.

The politically active farm-based organization was the original sponsor of the state's popular "blanket primary," which for decades allowed voters to choose their favorite nominee for each office, without regard to party label.

Federal courts threw out the system, saying it infringed on political parties' rights to pick their own nominees.

The Grange hit back with a successful initiative in 2004 to allow the top two vote-getters for each office to advance to the general election, regardless of party. The courts threw out that, too, and the Grange is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Thursday, the group announced a new tactic: legislation to get around the legal objections to a blanket-style primary by simply leaving party labels off ballots. Voters could again pick their favorite for each office, and parties would be free to recruit, finance and publicize their favored candidates, Grange President Terry Hunt said.

Essentially, this would mean non-partisan elections, such as the state already uses for the judiciary, and which many local governments use for offices such as Seattle mayor, city councils and school boards.

Legislators could still organize by party, and Olympia would run much the same way as always, said Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, the prime sponsor in the Senate.

But Sen. Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park, chairwoman of the committee that handles election bills, said the Grange plan will be bottled up.

"I support a 'top two' primary, but there is no way this could pass, so why should I even hold a hearing on it?" she said.

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Skamokawa Grange meets 2nd and 4th Mondays at 7:30pm, currently at Skamokawa Methodist Church.  Everyone is welcome, and we have great snacks!

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Comments

[Krist Novoselic]

I-872 is already a non-partisan system. It is different as it gives the candidate an opportunity to place any party preference next to their name on the ballot - regardless of any actual association with that party. The system sidelines the party because members have no control over a nomination. If there is no nomination, like the serpent eating its own tail, soon there will be no party. Therefore - I-872 is already a non-partisan system.