State's voters irate over new primary

By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter

Sam Reed is in charge of state elections.

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"The people have spoken," Secretary of State Sam Reed, who is charged with running state elections and is an outspoken opponent of the new system, said yesterday. "All but a fraction are angry. It's obviously a very emotional reaction."

He said that since last Wednesday night, when a state flier explaining the primary started showing up in 3 million mailboxes statewide, his office has received 6,546 phone calls. Only 5 percent were positive. He also received about 2,000 angry e-mails.

In one 24-hour period Reed's office, which has hired a dozen temporary workers to help field the calls, received 2,000 calls and one e-mail every two minutes.

The Sept. 14 primary is the first time that state voters will be required to vote for candidates of only one party, Democrat, Republican or Libertarian.

County election officials around the state redesigned ballots in response to the new Montana-style voting law that requires voters to declare a party preference if they want a voice in partisan primary elections.

Gov. Gary Locke signed the law after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review an appeals-court decision that tossed out the state's 70-year-old blanket primary, which allowed voting for candidates of any party.

Why is there a new primary? Gov. Gary Locke signed the law after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review an appeals-court decision that tossed out the state's 70-year-old blanket primary, which allowed voters to cast primary-election votes freely for candidates of either party. What is the new primary? The state's new Montana-style primary requires voters to declare a party preference if they want a voice in partisan primary elections. The Sept. 14 primary is the first use of the new system.

Reed, who supports a Louisiana-style primary system in which the top two vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of their parties, said the normal turnout for a primary is 41 to 45 percent and that he expects a drop of 10 percent with the new system. He said after California lost its blanket primary to a 2000 court decision, primary turnout was the lowest since 1910.

Reed expects a number of ballots will be tainted, with voters neglecting to mark their party preference or trying to vote for candidates of more than one party. Those votes won't count.

Voters on Nov. 2 will decide on Initiative 872, sponsored by the Washington State Grange, which would change the state primary to a top-two contest. Under that system, voters could cast ballots for any candidates, regardless of party. Reed expects the measure will pass easily.

Opponents of the initiative, primarily the political parties, passed out a flier yesterday saying it would deprive voters of party choice and could disenfranchise those who back minor-party candidates.

State Democratic Chairman Paul Berendt said voters are confused, believing that the Grange initiative would return the blanket primary when it wouldn't.

The Grange, like the Secretary of State's Office, has been flooded with calls from angry voters.

"The voters are telling us that they are upset," said Grange President Terry Hunt. "We're concerned that many of them will not vote if they have to pick a party ballot."

But Berendt said he is fielding 500 times more complaints about the war in Iraq than about the primary.

"There's no reason why a primary system in place in nine other states shouldn't come off without a hitch," he said. "Sam Reed has had four years to prepare for this and has been negligent in his duty."

He also said that 6,000 responses to a statewide mailing of 3 million brochures is a minor number and doesn't necessarily reflect the state sentiment.

Still, he acknowledged there is voter anger.

"I don't discount that people don't like the new system," he said, "but the old system was unconstitutional."

Reed yesterday displayed a thick book of letters his office has received about the new system.

"I think I will now have to do some research on which party tried to push this through and then choose the other party for all my future votes," Janice Clusserath of Redmond wrote in one letter.

Wrote Robert F. Snyder of Bellingham: "I am 79 and have lived in this state all my life and have never voted a straight ticket and I do not think this is right that I should have to now."

"This is as un-American as you can get," wrote Robert Cole of Mountlake Terrace. "I protest this rape of my rights."

Reed said he was pleased to see how strongly people feel about voting. "I admire the strong sentiment. I admire the passion," Reed said, encouraging people to vote despite their distaste for the primary. "I want to make this work."

The state has launched a $1.7 million voter-education campaign, using radio, television and mailers, to let voters know about the new primary.

Reed said his office is responding to those who have written to complain, and many are receiving the same answer:

"This new primary is due to a court decision, declaring the blanket primary unconstitutional, and a partial gubernatorial veto. We are meeting with county auditors to do everything possible to educate the public on the changes to this new primary. We encourage citizens to not compromise their vote, it is too important. Citizens are encouraged to voice their concerns with their legislators (www.leg.wa.gov) and the governor (www.governor.wa.gov). There is an initiative on the ballot relating to this primary."

The partial veto refers to Locke using his power earlier this year to change a law passed by the Legislature that set up a top-two primary where voters could vote for candidates of any party.

But the bill required the state to revert to a Montana primary if the first plan did not hold up in court. Arguing that the top-two primary would have been challenged in court by political parties, Locke vetoed that system in favor of the Montana-style primary.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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