Endorsement season

We’re in the last week of August, which means that this year’s September 19 primary election will soon be upon us. 

This is the last year we’ll have a September primary in Washington; the 2007 primary will take place in August.  Though I’ve heard bleats of gloom-and-doom regarding diminished turnout for a primary in the midst of our wondrous summer, it seems to me that decompressing the political timeline is likely to be a big help for the parties.  With the vast majority of Washingtonians (somewhere over 70% of us) voting by mail, it’s imperative for campaigns to contact voters long before the putative date of the election—King County will mail absentee ballots for this year’s primary on August 30.  Besides, Connecticut’s recent Lamont-over-Lieberman (yay!) primary demonstrates conclusively that an August primary can produce a large turnout.

The compression is especially evident between the primary and the general election.  According to King County’s Elections Calendar, the Secretary of State might certify the results of the primary as late as October 10, a mere ten days prior to the deadline for mailing out general election ballots.  That makes it all but impossible for party organizations to prepare and distribute sample ballots, campaign brochures, etc. for the general election.  (Remember, at least 70% of voters use the absentee ballot.)

In any case, I’m in the process of adding “buttons” to my blog’s sidebar for candidates I favor.  I also plan to write posts explaining why those candidates and campaigns are displayed in the new My 2006 Endorsements section at the top of the sidebar. 

Coming soon ... a post about the first such endorsement on my list:

Dick Kelley for House Position #1 from the 43rd Legislative District

PS.  I’m also making some overdue changes in my blogroll (Blogtopia ... y!sctp).

Comments

The problem we will face, is that the students aren’t even back here until after the primary. And if we get them registered for the General, the registration is unlikely to be valid next fall.
Students live here 75 percent of their years in College, and the rules make it hard for then to vote on the local issues that effect their lives for four plus years.

----------------------

You have a point, though it only really applies in a limited number of places in the state.  UW is in my Legislative District, but I don’t think the students there have much of an effect on the LD’s politics.  Things are probably different in the environs of WWU, CWU, EWU, and ... oh yeah, WSU.

Then again, it’s well established that college-age voters don’t turn out.  I doubt that they’ll fail to vote much more often in August than they don’t vote in September.

----------------------

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.

<< Back to main