Secretary of state predicts high turnout for primary election

Secretary of State Sam Reed is predicting a 46 percent turnout in this month's primary election, the highest in a generation.

"Our voters are intrigued by our new Top 2 system of voting, which allows them to pick their favorite candidate for each office, without regard to party," said Reed. "This should be very popular."

The system allows voters to pick a candidate, regardless of party affiliation, and the top two candidates move on to the general election.

Reed said turnout also should be helped by the fact that all but two counties, King and Pierce, are voting entirely by mail.

In the last presidential election year, 2004, the primary turnout was 45.14; in 2000 it was 40.8. The highest turnout in recent years was in 1972, when turnout was 49.4 percent.

Reed said one factor that may limit primary voting is that there are few high profile races on the ballot. There is no U.S. Senate race and the two candidates running for governor, Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi, are expected to advance to the general election ballot.

Washington has 3.41 million registered voters.