[Bracketed material and emphasis inserted by PE.]
Why We Need It
Pierce County voters [in Washington State] demonstrated their overwhelming dislike of the pick-a-party primary by approving the “top-two” primary Initiative 872 in 2004. Voters were looking for a way to regain the choice of any candidate from any party they had with Washington’s traditional blanket primary. [Similarly, in Israel, citizens are compelled to vote for a fixed party slate—a formula for party oligarchy.]
Unfortunately, political parties successfully challenged the “top-two” primary in court by arguing that the “top-two” primary, like the blanket primary before it, did not allow parties to control the use of their names on the ballot. [This was a contest between the power of parties and the power of the voters.]
A Better Solution for Pierce County
[As in Australia and Ireland, which employ “preferential voting”,] Pierce County Proposed Charter Amendment Three offers a solution for restoring voter choice while at the same time meeting the legal objections to the “top-two” primary. Amendment Three replaces the primary with a single election in November using Instant Runoff Voting (IRV). Voters are able to rank the candidates they like, allowing them to vote for any candidate from any party. [Emphasis added.] Parties control their own ballot line, allowing them to protect the use of their name on the ballot.
[Israel desperately needs the equivalent of Amendment Three to make members of the Knesset accountable to the voters. This would be a giant step toward reducing corruption and making Israel a genuine democracy.]
