Pick A Party

Postman has the latest instructions from the Secretary of State about the logistics of the top-two primary. It's not going to be pretty. I've said here that the structure of the top-two primary will push candidates and the electorate towards extremes, and now is the appropriate time to point out that Washingtonians aren't as independent as they like to think.

Under the new system, the Democratic and Republican parties will not be allowed to signify their endorsement of a candidate on the ballot. That withholds valuable information from the voters. Like relying on a stockbroker to pick a mutual fund or a plumber to figure out what's wrong with your drain, the parties spend time and energy interviewing and vetting candidates so that people may rely on their endorsement. A party endorsement is shorthand, it gives voters information that they don't have time to gather themselves. By prohibiting that shorthand, the Supreme Court is imposing a less-informed electorate.

And please, let's not pretend that people will suddenly start to pay more attention to news and politics to educate themselves.

Washingtonian's refusal to pick a party in the traditional sense, and the twisted machinations to patch together an "open" primary that passes constitutional muster will lead to extremes and less information - hardly the model independent electorate we had wished for. But we get what we deserve.