Editorial: Presidential primary might give Washington voice

Washington canceled its presidential primaries in 2004 and 2012 to save money and avoid the embarrassment of counting votes that would have little or no bearing on which presidential candidates the state parties would support.

But Secretary of State Kim Wyman wants to try again, with the hope that what could be a wing-dinger of a 2016 primary, along with a big carrot for the parties, will generate enthusiasm for early, relevant presidential voting.

We are concerned that voters might regard that carrot as a stick.

Wyman has introduced legislation that would conduct primaries in one of two ways:

Traditional, separate voting by party members, or a combined primary with all the candidates on a single ballot, like the top-two primaries held now.

For the parties, the inducement for holding closed balloting is simple: Voters would have to declare their allegiance. Those voter lists, which would be available to the public, are valuable fundraising and polling tools. But the parties would have to commit to selecting national convention delegates based in some part on the election results.

How much is undefined.

If the parties balk at that commitment, a combined primary would be held; denying the parties those valuable lists and probably diluting the impact of the results.

In Idaho, where the Republican primary is the election, parties insist on closed primaries. The result has been pathetically low turnouts: 25 percent in 2014, even though the governorship and other statewide posts were at stake.

But even smaller percentages attend caucuses, inviting manipulation by supporters of a candidate who could be an outsider. In 1988, for example, state Republican leaders were blindsided when devotees of television evangelist Pat Robertson packed those get-togethers. Washington’s pro-Roberts delegation stood out at a national convention all about nominee George H.W. Bush.

By 1992, a primary was in place. The parties shifted their focus to whether voting had to be open, or could be kept closed. The courts ruled they should be open. But the parties could give the results as much or as little weight compared with caucus results as they choose.

The Democrats ignore primary outcomes. Republicans give them some consideration.

If the bills – SB 5978/HB 2139 – pass, the parties will have until October to decide whether the primary will be closed or open. The primary or primaries could be held March 8, the week after the Super Tuesday primaries in several other states and early enough that the results might matter. By May, the time set aside now, the nominations are all but decided.

Wyman is counting on the prospect of a meaningful presidential primary to convince voters, legislators and the parties that changes are in order, and that they will be worth an $11.5 million appropriation.

Washington, the third most populous Western state, is on the sidelines during presidential primaries. Wyman’s proposal will put us in – if that’s what voters want.