Q&A: Welcome to the new ballot

By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter

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It's new, it's different and to many voters, it's infuriating.

In Tuesday's primary election, voters must choose a Republican, Democratic or Libertarian ballot if they want their votes to count. There will be no crossing over party lines, as Washington state voters have long been able to do.

So if you have a favorite Democrat in the governor's race but like a Republican running for attorney general, you'll have to pick just one, on the party ballot you choose.

Election officials in counties around the state redesigned ballots in response to the state's 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 Washington's 70-year-old blanket primary under which voters chose freely among candidates of either party.

Under King County's new system, all primary-election voters will be given identical ballots, with candidates for each party listed under a heading with a particular color code for that party. Voters will be required to declare a party preference at the top of the ballot if they want their votes to count.

For many voters the change will be upsetting and confusing. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the new primary, and answers from Dean Logan, King County director of elections, and Secretary of State Sam Reed.

Q: How did we get into this mess?

A: After the courts found the blanket primary unconstitutional, the Legislature created a new primary where the top two candidates would advance to the general-election ballot, regardless of party.

The bill passed by the Legislature required the state to revert to a Montana-style 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, Gov. Gary Locke vetoed that system in favor of the Montana-style primary.
 
Q: What if I don't want to declare a party preference or pick party candidates. Can I still vote in the nonpartisan races?

A: Yes.

Q: What about third-party candidates? Will they be on the ballot?

A: Under state law, only parties that have achieved major-party status are on the primary ballot, and in Washington that's the Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians. Other parties have nominating conventions and may appear on the general-election ballot in November.

Q: Why are the Libertarians on the ballot?

A: They had at least 5 percent of the total vote cast in a state general election in an even-number year, as the law requires. In 2000, Ruth Bennett got 7.8 percent of the vote in the race for lieutenant governor, Chris Caputo received 5.47 percent for state auditor and Steve Layman had 5.4 percent for superintendent of public lands. That year, the Libertarian presidential nominee didn't get 1 percent.

Q: Why not put the nonpartisan races first on the ballot? Wouldn't that be less confusing for voters?

A: State law specifies the order of the ballot.

Q: King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties are using one consolidated ballot bearing the names of all candidates separated by party. Will that be more expensive than the old ballot?

A: Yes. Ballots are longer and cost more to print because the parties are color-coded. However, for this primary King County has a printing contract that didn't envision the changes. So extra costs probably won't be seen until the next primary election. Six counties are using a consolidated ballot: those in the Puget Sound area plus Chelan and Klickitat counties.

Q: What are the rest of the counties doing?

A: Voters in all other counties will get four ballots, one for each party and one for nonpartisan races alone. They will be told to fill out just one party ballot, or the nonpartisan ballot if they don't want to vote in the partisan races, and throw the others away.

Q: The political parties wanted this new primary. Are they paying any of the extra costs?

A: No.

Q: How can I be assured that no record will be kept of my choice of political party?

A: When you vote, it's a secret ballot and specific voters aren't identified. Absentee voters place their ballots in a secrecy envelope and there is no way to identify who voted for which political party. There will be an aggregate total of which voters picked which party, but they won't be identified.

Q: Are Democrats going to be first on all ballots, or will it alternate?

A: They'll be first on all ballots this year. That's determined by rules adopted by the secretary of state, based on how the state voted in the last presidential election. Since Washington picked Democrat Al Gore, the Democrats are listed first. President Bush finished second, so Republicans are listed second and the Libertarian candidates third. This will be the same order in the general election.

Q: What if I don't mark the box at the top that asks my party preference. Will my votes still count?

A: Not for the partisan races. Your votes will still count in the nonpartisan races.

Q: What about write-in votes? Can I still write in someone who's not on the ballot?

A: In the past, voters could write in their picks for office on a line below the candidates appearing on the ballot. You can still write in candidates, but the only votes that will count are those for candidates who have filed declarations of write-in candidacy with the state or county.

That means if you want to be a write-in candidate for governor, you have to file a declaration that you belong to the Democratic, Republican or Libertarian party. Otherwise, write-in votes for you won't count.

Q: Is primary-election turnout expected to decline because of the new ballot?

A: Probably, Reed says. Absentee ballots are coming in more slowly than normal, he said last week, predicting about 10 percent fewer voters in this primary.

Logan disagrees: "With all the resources we have to educate voters about the new system, and the fact it's a presidential-election year, we may see an increase in turnout. In focus groups, even those who were upset about the new ballot said they would still vote."

Q: I'm angry about this new primary. Am I alone?

A: No. The Secretary of State's Office said that in the first week after mailing out information about the new primary it received about 9,000 calls and e-mails, almost all opposed to the new primary system.

Q: Isn't there an initiative to change the primary back to the old system?

A: No. The blanket primary is dead. However, the Washington State Grange has an initiative on the general-election ballot that would change the primary system so that the top two vote-getters in the primary, regardless of party, would move on to the general-election ballot. Under that system, known as the Louisiana-style primary, you could vote for any candidates regardless of party.

Q: What happens if I vote for a candidate who is not a member of the party I marked at the top of my ballot?

A: That vote will be voided, but your other votes will still count.

Q: What kinds of problems are elections officials envisioning?

A: They're primarily concerned about absentee ballots, where voters might be tempted to cross party lines or neglect to mark party preference at the top of the ballot. At King County polling places, ballots with no party preference marked will be kicked back by the scanner when voters turn them in. Voters need to mark a party if they want their partisan votes to count. If they choose not to pick a party (voting only in nonpartisan races, for example), a poll worker must push a button so the ballot will go through.

Q: What about November's general election? Will I still have to choose a party ballot?

A: No. In November you will be allowed to vote for anyone and freely cross party lines on your ballot.

Q: I still have questions. Where can I go for help?

A. The King County Elections Office has extended its phone-line hours until 9 p.m. Call 206-296-VOTE (8683).

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