Caucus system limits the voice of all the people

She couldn’t go to a caucus Saturday because she had a scheduled meeting.

He had to schedule the appointment for the morning because he wanted to go to a caucus in the afternoon.

I couldn’t go to a caucus because I was stuck in a hospital bed This shows the problem with the caucus system. It limits participation to those who can go to a certain place at a certain time.

Contrast this with voting in a primary.

Poll voters in King County need only show up sometime during a 13-hour period. Absentee voters in King and Snohomish counties have a couple of weeks to complete and return their ballots.

The primary is designed for broader participation.

Even when participation was high Saturday, the caucuses were unfair. In some precincts, 60 people showed up to choose six delegates to the county convention. In other precincts six people choose the same number; their votes were each worth ten times as much as those in the precinct with more participants.

If decisions are made by those who show up, all of those who show up should have equal say.

Presidential primary: An invitation to lie

Lots of people will lie on their ballot envelopes for Tuesday’s presidential primary.

I may be among them.

No, I won’t vote on one party’s ballot after participating in the other party’s caucus. Since I didn’t go to a caucus, I feel free to vote in either party’s primary.

Maybe I’ll vote Democrat to either ratify the caucus results or voice my displeasure with them.

On the other hand, I might vote a Republican ballot because that’s the only one that counts.

To do this, I’ll have to sign an oath that says, in part, I am a member of the Republican Party.

I have some Republican credentials. After all, my grandfather was the Republican candidate for Snohomish County treasurer just 90 years ago.

But, member? No. The only “members” of the party are those who pay dues to a local party organization. So, most people who sign the oath are lying. The ballot envelope practically invites us to lie.

Evan Smith is Enterprise Forum editor. Send comments to him at entopinion@heraldnet.com.