Reed touts Top 2 legislation

February 19, 2009

Secretary of State Sam Reed, making in his first appearance of the session to a legislative committee, will urge lawmakers today to approve changes to strengthen Washington's popular Top 2 Primary.

Reed, the state's chief elections official, will testify before the Senate Governmental Operations Committee at 3:30 p.m., on Senate Bill 5681. The measure would strengthen the state's voter-approved primary system, eliminating references to the unpopular old pick-a-party primary that limited voters to one party's candidaites. The Top 2 approach, adopted by initiative in 2004 and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last March, was used last fall and was quite popular with voters. It allows people to pick their favorite for each office and the top two vote-getters advance to the November General Election. Candidates may express a party preference, although the new primary isn't a nominating process, but rather winnows the field down to two finalists per office. Reed's proposed legislation also sets up clear definitions of parties and how they can be formed, and changes election rules for partisan precinct committee officers. The bill is part of a reform package now being considered by lawmakers. Independent pollster Stuart Elway finds broad support for all four Reed proposals that he included in his February statewide poll.

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