I just received my copy of the State of Washington Voters' Pamphlet for the August 19, 2008 Primary now called the Top 2 Primary. This change from a party primary to a "Top 2" primary is based on a 2004 Initiative which was upheld by the Supreme Court in March, 2008. What's the difference? The top two vote getters go to the November election, regardless of party designation or the lack thereof. Per the pamphlet, candidates self-designate their party preference. Some Republicans are playing the system.
A June 24 article from
Fox News
In Washington state, where the Republican brand doesn’t have the luster it used to, some right-leaning politicians are opting to call themselves anything but "Republican."
When Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi appears on the primary ballot this summer, his party designation will simply read "G.O.P.," the long-used shorthand for Grand Old Party, a synonym for the Republican Party.
Other candidates are also leaving the Republican moniker behind, thanks to the state’s new "top two" primary. Instead of considering a candidate’s party, the system pits the top two vote recipients against each other in the state general election. Key to the trend of Republicans shunning their party name, if not the platform — the system allows candidates to choose any party label they want, or none at all.
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Dino Rossi, running against Christine Gregoire, is now going to show up as "prefers G.O.P. Party", his self-designation. The word "Republican" does not show up in his "Candidate Statement" in the phamplet although it does show up in his "Significant Career Experience". (Also listed under Experience is "Eagle Scout with God and Country Medal.)
If you look at the whole Fox article you can see that there is concern about this election and these self-designations. As a hypothetical, let's pretend 3 people are running for office and receive 100 votes:
Candidate A - ultra-right wing Republican with 35 votes
a self-designation of "states no
party preference"
Candidate B - moderate Republican - "prefers 33 votes
Republican party"
Candidate C - moderate Democrat - "prefers 32 votes
Democratic party"
Under our system this election, A and B go to the November election. C is out. You can see why we need to GOTV and keep the public informed on exactly who they are voting for.