Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 10, 2004
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gary Locke Applauds State Supreme Court Orders To Uphold Governor’s Veto Action on Primary

OLYMPIA – June 10, 2004 – Gov. Gary Locke today applauded the state Supreme Court’s orders to ensure that Washington will have an election system this year that provides voters with the greatest choices in the general election.

The Washington State Grange filed suit to have the governor’s partial veto of Engrossed Senate Bill 6453 declared unconstitutional. The governor vetoed the sections of the bill enacting a Louisiana primary system and signed the sections implementing a Montana-style system.

The court issued an order denying the Grange’s petition. The Grange sought to have Locke’s action on April 1 to enact a new primary system declared unconstitutional.

In a separate order, the court dismissed as moot the question of whether the primary law was subject to referendum, which would have halted implementation of the law. The court noted that proponents of three referendums had failed to gather enough signatures to place any of the referendums on the September ballot.

“I thank the court for issuing their orders so remarkably quickly,” Locke said. “This will enable the Secretary of State and local elections officials to move forward in their preparations for the September 14 primary, confident about the type of system we will be using in our state.”

“I have said all along that I support the Montana system because it best preserves voter choice in the November general election,” Locke said. “The Louisiana system would be a poor option for Washington voters. It is likely unconstitutional, and it limits voter choice and participation. The Montana election system is a far better one.”

In the Montana system, voters may choose among candidates from a single party in partisan races in the primary election, in addition to voting for any person in the non-partisan races. Their choice of parties is completely confidential. No party registration is required. Independent voters have a choice of any party on a year-to-year basis, while maintaining their privacy by not being identified by either political party.

In the November general election, there is no change from the current system. Voters will have the choice to vote for any candidate, regardless of party, including the smaller parties, independents or write-ins. Almost 1 million votes were cast for third-party candidates in statewide races in the 2000 election.

“Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about choosing a primary system,” Locke said. “It is about choosing an overall election system – primary and general. The Montana system preserves what Washington voters are accustomed to – having many choices on the November general election ballot.”

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