Washington State Primary Turnout This Year Was Lowest Since 1990

Posted on by August 22, 2014
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Washington state held its fourth top-two primary on August 5. According to the Secretary of State’s web page, 2014 primary turnout was 31.15% of registered voters. This is the lowest Washington primary turnout since 1990.

Turnout in previous primaries has been: 2012 38.48%, 2010 40.97%, 2008 42.60%, 2006 38.80%, 2004 45.14%, 2002 34.21%, 2000 40.80%, 1998 35.29%, 1996 42.00%, 1994 34.54%, 1992 45.80%. These percentages are all from the Secretary of State’s web page. Old election returns earlier than 1992 are on the Secretary of State’s web page, but there is no turnout data. However, in 1990, the total number of votes cast for U.S. House in the primary was only 623,910, and there were 2,229,322 registered voters in Washington state in October 1990. The number of registered voters at the primary is not known, and the number of primary voters is not known, but the best estimate is that 1990 primary turnout was approximately 30%.

Washington used a blanket primary before 2004, and an open primary in 2004 and 2006.

Florida State Court Approves Old U.S. House District Boundaries for 2014 Election

Posted on by August 22, 2014
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On August 22, the Florida state court that had ruled that the 2011 redistricting for U.S. House violates the State Constitution ruled that, notwithstanding the flaws in the old lines, they should be used for the 2014 election. The judge also said that the new district lines passed by the legislature in special session last week are to be used in 2016. See this story.

Alaska News Story Suggests Libertarian U.S. Senate Primary Outcome Caused by Voter Confusion

Posted on by August 22, 2014
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As previously reported, the Alaska Libertarian primary on August 19 included a 3-way race for the U.S. Senate nomination. Thom Walker won, even though he didn’t campaign and is not known to Libertarian Party activists. This story suggests that Walker won the primary because some voters confused him with Bill Walker, an independent candidate for Governor whose name was not on any party’s primary ballot, but who is well-known.

Sixth Circuit Sends Tennessee Ballot Access and Ballot Order Case Back to U.S. District Court for More Fact-Finding

Posted on by August 22, 2014
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On August 22, the Sixth Circuit issued a 24-page opinion in Green Party of Tennessee v Hargett, 13-5975. It says that the U.S. District Court should re-adjudicate the case, and should take testimony on how burdensome it is for a group to submit a petition of 2.5% of the last gubernatorial vote (currently 40,042 signatures) with a deadline in early August.

Footnote four on page sixteen says the new evidence can be from other states. It should be fairly easy for the plaintiffs, the Green Party and the Constitution Party, to use experience from other states to demonstrate that getting as many as 40,042 valid signatures is burdensome. Neither party has ever been able to petition successfully for party status in any medium-size or small state that requires that many signatures. The only states in which either party has ever been able to overcome a signature hurdle as high as 40,000 signatures are California and Texas, which happen to be the most populous and second-most populous states in the nation.

The decision does hint that the state’s rationale for requiring as many as 40,000 signatures seems unconvincing. Page 16 says, “It is a puzzling proposition that voters should be less confused by a ballot listing numerous candidates without (“without” is in italics) a party designation than by a similar ballot including party designations; the latter, at least, contains information helpful to distinguishing among lesser-known candidates.”

The decision also wants more evidence to decide the issue of whether putting the two major parties in the top spots on the ballot in all elections harms other parties and independent candidates.