Editorial: Voters pick people, not parties with new primary

At a time when all politics seem to revolve around an “R” or “D” after a candidate’s name, Washington is shaking things up this year with the new Top 2 Primary.

In previous years, the top candidate from the Republican and Democratic political parties moved on to the general election in the fall.

This year, though, the top two candidates, regardless of party, will advance to the general election. That means there is the potential for two Democrats or two Republicans to go head-to-head in the fall. Some supporters of the new system say it allows voters to pick a person not a party.

Voters approved this system in 2004 as an initiative with nearly 60 percent support. A year later, the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties took the issue to federal court to try to stop it from being used. After several court battles, state officials appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in a March ruling sided in favor of the Top 2 Primary.

One of the benefits of the new system is that voters do not have to declare a political party and can vote across party lines. Plus, candidates themselves don’t have to declare a party. In the Voters’ Pamphlet, candidates have the option of stating their political preference but that doesn’t mean they have been endorsed or nominated by that party. It doesn’t even mean the party approves of the candidate.

Also, in past years, only candidates from the two major political parties appeared on the primary ballot; all other parties’ candidates appeared on the general election ballot. This year, everyone is included during the primary, which means there is the possibility that voters won’t have the opportunity to vote for candidates from the smaller political parties at the general election.

With the changes in the Primary system, it makes it even more important for people to participate on Tuesday. No longer can you simply count on getting to vote down the party line during the general election — there might not be anyone in your political party running. This is your chance to have a say in who gets on that ballot. Use it.