Pay attention, voters

Pity the poor voter. A variety of events have conspired to put the Washington voter through the wringer. The details — the when, the how — of voting around the state, and especially in King County, keep changing.

Some changes should improve election accuracy. Others result from lawsuits and haggling with the political parties.

For starters, there will be a statewide primary Aug. 19, not in September as we had until last year. This change adopted by the Legislature is a necessary adjustment that should give election officials more time to process ballots and produce a smoother November general election. Eleven weeks between the primary and general elections is preferable to seven weeks of separation under the old system.

Then there is the top-two primary. The top what, you say? Anyone tracking newspaper headlines has to stop and think: How does this work? For several years, we have had a pick-a-party primary, an invention created when the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the wide-open blanket primary.

In recent elections, voters have been Democrat or Republican for a day, selecting candidates within the confines of a party's menu.

This year, the state has a new creation, the top-two primary, whereby voters select two candidates of any party to advance to the general election.

Compounding the head-scratching, voters will see different labels attached to different candidates rather than more-familiar party designations. For example, some candidates will say "prefers GOP" or "Prefers Salmon/Yoga Party." The beauty of the top-two, however, is voters can choose among candidates of different parties.

Further confusion comes from political parties threatening to nullify results of the primary vote. The parties haughtily announced last week they would not accept the results of the top-two primary. The secretary of state said there would be a top-two primary, and there will be.

In King County, an initiative will appear on the August and probably November ballots to change party identification rules for county executive, council and assessor. If the measure wins, voters will no longer be told county candidates' political party preference. Under an alternative proffered by the County Council, politicians could volunteer to disclose party preference.

King County was also supposed to switch to all-mail ballots this year, then said, "Oops, just kidding. How about next year?"

It's all so confusing. Hang in there, voters. An August primary is a good thing. A top-two is worth the adjustment. The good news? The King County nonpartisan-versus-partisan change won't be a factor until 2009.