Reply #19: Unlawful, according to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals [View All]

[kurtyboy]

Out here on the West Coast, we cannot hold "open" or blanket primaries any longer. The Courts ruled them illegal for California, and appeals by other states were not successful.

Here in Washington state, our primaries have been thrown into turmoil as the Legislature tries to craft a solution. A likely proposal has the top-two vote getters advancing to the General, regardless of party affiliation. Another proposal has voters requesting separate ballots (GOP, DEM, or IND)--but trust me, we will never have de jure registration by party affiliation out here.

Finally, if our legislature fails to act, then there will be no primary at all, and our general election will have EVERY filed candidate for EVERY office on the ballot. If this occurs, I can foresee a ballot that runs 25 or 30 pages in length.