Constitution for people, not parties

Why should I ever bother with voting in another primary in the state of Washington? Now I know that there are other issues that need to be addressed at these elections, but for the Supreme Court to take away my constitutional right of free speech, I am appalled! The blanket primary was just fine the way it was.

Here is the rub: The Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties are the ones that challenged the law, claiming that it unconstitutionally restrains their supporters’ freedom of association. As an individual, am I not a supporter?

The Supreme Court overturned the lower court decision and ruled that the blanket primary law in California violates a political party’s First Amendment right of association. The First Amendment says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Let’s talk about the “abridging the freedom of speech” for a moment. As an individual I should be able to support whoever I want, whenever I want. That is a constitutional right I have.

The Constitution was set up for the people, not an entity such as a political party.

Randy Larson

Lake Stevens