Editorial: Supremes should back top two

Published 11:00 am Wednesday, October 3, 2007

The U.S. Supreme Court is still meddling in Washington State’s primary election system, and perhaps this time it will get it right simply by doing what it should have done in the first place: Butt out.

Washington voters were happy with our long-standing open primary system, in which voters select any candidate of their choice, regardless of party. This allowed people to select candidates by their qualifications, not their party affiliations.

The nine black-robed meddlers in the other Washington threw out the open primary, suddenly finding it unconstitutional after six decades of use. The justices sided with the political parties, who wanted to dictate their own candidates for public office.

Rebellious Washington voters responded by approving an initiative instigating a “top two” primary, in which the top two vote-getters would advance to the general election, regardless of party. Lower court justices showed they also like to meddle where they don’t belong by ruling this approach unconstitutional. Now, the issue has again risen to the level of the Supreme Court, which heard arguments on Monday.

If the justices again rule against voter independence, primary participation in Washington will plummet. Most voters here don’t want partisan politics shoved down their throats, and they want to vote for the best candidates, regardless of party.

The Supreme Court should leave us alone. Surely there are more important matters to debate, particularly at a time when the war on terror is stripping citizens of more individual rights as each year passes. Washington voters have always had the right to select who they want on the primary ballot. Let the people retain this right.