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Top-2 Primary FAQ |
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| What is a Top-2 Primary | |
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A Top-2 Primary is a Primary Election in which the top two vote getters advance to the General Election, regardless of party affiliation. It changes our way of thinking about the Primary. Instead of the Primary Election being an election where each party chooses it’s nominee, the Primary Election is now simply a means of qualifying candidates to appear on the General Election ballot. The two candidates who receive the greatest number of votes will qualify. Because of this important change, voters will NOT have to select a party ballot and will be free to vote for whomever they choose, regardless of party preference. |
How does this change the General Election? |
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There are two important changes to the General Election ballot. First, independent and minor party candidates will appear on the Primary Election ballot, and will have to qualify to appear in the General. Second, since we are not nominating one candidate from each party to advance, it is possible voters may see two candidates who have listed the same party preference on the General Election ballot. |
What does a candidate’s Party Preference really mean? |
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Candidates are allowed to list their party preference on the ballot, as a way of informing voters which party they personally prefer. This designation does not indicate that the party has selected, nominated, or endorsed, or otherwise agrees with the views of the candidate. The political parties may hold nominating conventions and select their designated candidate, but that designation will not appear on the ballot itself. Voters need to know that the party preference information on the ballot is SELF-REPORTED by the candidate. |
Will I still get three ballots for the Primary? |
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No. Voters will only receive one ballot listing ALL candidates who have filed for office in our county. Voters may select any candidate for each race, regardless of party preference. |
| How did we end up with this Top-2 Primary? | |
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Voters passed I-872 in 2004, which created the Top-2 Primary. A lawsuit challenged the constitutionality of I-872 and stopped the state from conducting an election under this system. In March 2008, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the state may conduct a Top-2 Primary as passed by voters. |
| Related Contact Information | |
| Office of the Secretary of State PO Box 40229 Olympia, Washington 98504 360-902-4180 800-422-8683 TDD/TTY www.vote.wa.gov |
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| Thurston County Democrats PO Box 164 Olympia, Washington 98507 360-956-0235 www.thurstondemocrats.org |
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| Thurston County Republicans PO Box 275 Olympia, Washington 98507 360-412-8087 www.thurstonrepublicans.com |
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| Washington State Democrats PO Box 4027 Seattle, Washington 98194 206-583-0664 www.wa-democrats.org |
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| Washington State Republicans 16400 Southcenter Parkway, Suite 200 Seattle, Washington 98188 206-575-2900 www.wsrp.org |
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