Ballots throughout King and Snohomish counties ask us to mark “party preference.”
A letter in the Herald a week ago expressed the writer’s anger at having to do this. Apparently, the writer didn’t believe the note on the ballot that the selection is private and not recorded.
I had expected the party-preference box to disappear from unified ballots after legislative action this spring. The Legislature had responded to last year’s primary in which thousands of votes weren’t counted because voters hadn’t indicated a party but had voted on only one party’s side of the ballot.
State Senate Government Operations Committee Chairwoman Darlene Fairley tells me that the new law “just says that if you vote straight party and don’t check the box, your votes will still count.”
Legislators faced pressure from party organizations to keep the party-preference box.
Apparently, the parties can get information from how many people check each box. Some states have “party verification” systems in which voters’ preference is public, but Washington’s is a “private choice” system.
Snohomish County Auditor Carolyn Diepenbrock tells me that votes are secret because officials remove them from secrecy envelopes and count them in a separate area.
Parties can get the number of people who vote each party in individual precincts, but Diepenbrock says that when few vote in a precinct those numbers are mixed with others.
Fairley tells me that counties that use separate Democratic, Republican and non-partisan ballots do supply information to the parties, a violation of the law.
The parties should realize that a party-preference box confuses and angers voters.
Inslee: An impeachment convert
U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee has sponsored a resolution for impeachment of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
This is the same Inslee who argued against a resolution in the State Legislature asking Congress for an impeachment inquiry against President Bush and Vice President Cheney. During the legislative session, Inslee said that talk of impeachment would get in the way of other Congressional business like attempting to end the Iraq war.
No primaries or caucuses in December
Congratulations to Iowa Gov. Chet Culver for putting a limit on the race for earlier presidential primaries and caucuses.
South Carolina Republicans have moved their primary to Jan. 19, the same day that Nevada Democrats will hold caucuses. South Carolina’s move will force New Hampshire to move its primary to either Jan. 8 or Jan. 12. This led to speculation that Iowa would move its precinct caucuses into December. However, Culver said that he would not allow the caucuses to move into December.
So, someone has finally drawn the line. I just wish the line were at May 1 rather than Jan. 1.
Evan Smith is the Enterprise Forum editor. Send comments to entopinion@heraldnet.com.
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