Capitol Watch: Move the primary vote

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD   19 April 2005

Considering the hubbub over last November's election, lawmakers' failure to enact all the needed substantial election reform legislation is a stunning case of dereliction of duty.

Efforts to accomplish the cornerstone of legitimate reform moving the date of the primary election far enough forward to avoid debilitating conflicts with the general election have met with resistance from both Republicans and Democrats. Republicans are causing further distraction from this essential effort by repeated demands for "real reform."

Strangely, key elements of the Republicans' "real reform" have little relevance to the issues in last fall's controversial election. Included in the price for Republican votes in the two-thirds majority required to move the primary have been a massive voter re-registration and requirements for photo identification, birth certificates or passports for voter registration and voting at the polls.

Among the problems that cropped up in the November election, there were hardly widespread allegations of voters claiming to cast ballots for someone they're not or of non-citizens attempting to vote. The Republican proposals seem to echo last fall's attempts across the country to intimidate certain groups of voters.

Unless the primary election is moved, a future general election will result in military or other absentee ballots not being counted. Washington may even be added to the list of states facing federal lawsuit for violating voting rights. Just thank the 147 lawmakers who failed to act this session.