In 2004, Washington joined with 48 other states in nominating candidates by the party primary system, through which adherents of political parties join in primary elections to choose who will be their spokesmen and representatives in the state's general election. The legislature adopted the new system following court decisions which held that the state's previous and long-standing primary election system, the “blanket primary,” violated the constitutional rights of members of political parties to determine with whom they would associate and who would be their spokesmen and candidates.
The open primary system adopted by the legislature earlier this year is similar to that used in Montana and other states, in which voters join with others sharing their party preference to nominate candidates in the primary. Under this system one candidate from each party automatically advances to the general election. In the general election, of course, citizens can vote for any candidate of their choice, without restriction.
Initiative 872, sponsored by the Washington State Grange, would replace the recently-adopted open primary system with a “top two” or “winnowing” primary, largely based on the “Cajun” system used only in Louisiana . Under this proposal, voters would select among all candidates in a primary, regardless of the party of the voter or the candidates. According to the initiative, “each voter has the right to cast a vote for any candidate for each office without any limitation based on party preference or affiliations, of either the voter or the candidate.” Under the system proposed by the initiative, the two candidates appearing on the general election ballot could both be from the same party.
Read the full Policy Brief here