By Susanna Ray
Herald Writer
OLYMPIA — House Democrats staged a two-hour sit-in on the floor of their chamber Monday night to protest procedural moves that delayed a vote to change the state’s blanket primary.
All the parliamentary drama will make it difficult for the Legislature to meet a federal court deadline today.
Unless the House quickly finishes this morning what it never got around to doing Monday, the ball will be in Secretary of State Sam Reed’s court. He would likely ask U.S. District Judge Frank Burgess to implement a Louisiana-style system that would allow the top two vote-getters in the primary election, regardless of their party, to advance to the general election.
That’s the same plan the Senate has already passed. But House Republican Co-speaker Clyde Ballard is adamantly opposed to it. He and other opponents say it would reduce voters’ choices in the November election by keeping minor-party candidates off the general election ballot and allowing two candidates from the same party to appear on it. He also worries it would result in parties nominating their candidates at a convention instead, eliminating public involvement.
The House had passed a plan similar to one used in Montana, where voters would have to choose to vote for Democrat, Libertarian or Republican candidates. They could also check an "unaffiliated" box and vote across the board, but the parties wouldn’t have to accept those ballots.
Monday’s plan was to debate and adopt an amendment to require the parties to accept independent votes. That idea is constitutionally questionable, but at least lawmakers would be able to say they tried to make every vote count.
But before the debate even began, Rep. Shirley Hankins, R-Richland, tried a procedural move to force a vote on the Louisiana-style plan, which supporters say would pass if Ballard would let it onto the floor. That touched off more than four hours’ worth of caucus meetings and strategizing, giving legislators the most political excitement they’ve had all year.
"If you call this excitement," said Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish.
"I haven’t had this much fun in two or three years," joked Rep. Mike Cooper, D-Edmonds.
But as the intensity escalated, so did the rhetoric. "If we go to war now, I can guarantee you, ain’t nobody gonna win," Ballard told a group of Democrats.
Not long before, he had commented on how well he and his Democratic counterpart were working together.
Democrats said they were just making a statement. They talked about staying on the floor until midnight to show the public that they were ready to vote, but that the Republicans were missing in action. Most of the Republicans had gone home when Democrats went into another caucus meeting, with the understanding that the House would adjourn shortly thereafter.
Instead, Democrats came out and decided to dramatize their frustration over Ballard’s obstinance and the lack of movement, clustering around reporters to voice their disapproval and refusing to adjourn for the night.
"If you guys would stop writing, we wouldn’t be here," Rep. John Pennington, R-Carrolls, stage-whispered to reporters at about 7:30 p.m.
Fifteen minutes later, House Democratic Co-speaker Frank Chopp announced that the House would be at ease until 10 a.m. today, and the sit-in was over, although many Democrats and a handful of Republicans remained behind discussing the events.
It’s still possible that the House could pass something this morning, the Senate could concur and the governor could sign it into law in time for today’s 4:30 p.m. deadline. If not, the primary’s future will be in the judge’s hands, since the parties took court action after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that the 66-year-old blanket primary violated parties’ rights.
But some legislators said Monday’s drama didn’t leave them with much hope for a solution today.
"I’m not going to be sucked into one of these backdoor, ‘We’re gonna get you’ situations," Ballard said.
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