The state-funded primary election that ends Tuesday includes a party-allegiance ballot requirement that is clashing with the North Olympic Peninsula’s independent streak — and is costing taxpayer dollars to address.
Election officials in Clallam and Jefferson counties said that more than 1,300 voters had failed to declare a Republican Party or Democratic Party affiliation by leaving the box blank next to a declaration statement on the envelope.
The ballots are “held,” or set aside, while party declaration requests are mailed to the voters.
The forms must be returned to county courthouses in Clallam and Jefferson counties by June 6, the day before the primary election results will be certified.
Voters’ party affiliations become public information.
Left box unchecked
As of Wednesday, 855 Clallam County voters had not filled out the box declaring affiliation, Elections Supervisor Ken Hugoniot said.
That’s 5.8 percent of the 14,744 ballots that had been returned out of 48,941 mailed to registered voters.
In Jefferson County, 520 voters had not done so, Elections Supervisor Betty Johnson said.
That’s 6 percent of the 8,600 ballots that had been returned out of 23,857 mailed.
Jefferson County
As of Wednesday, Johnson said 84 Jefferson County voters sent back declarations saying they are Democrats and 51 said they are Republicans, meaning their votes will now count.
“Some people don’t realize that by not selecting a party, it doesn’t go further,” Johnson said.
As part of marking that same ballot-envelope statement on party affiliation — it says “(required)” next to it — voters also must promise not to participate in the other party’s presidential-selection process.
In the “7 easy steps” instruction sheet, voters are also told to mark one political party declaration box — it, too, includes the “(required)” admonition.
The sheet says, “The major political parties require voters to pick a party in order to participate.”
That does not sit well with some North Olympic Peninsula voters, Johnson and Hugoniot said.
Independent option?
“[They] simply feel that there should be an option for independent voters, that there should be other options on the ballot in terms of parties or that they should be able to vote without having to declare a party,” Hugoniot said.
“Washington voters do not register their party on voter registration, and Washington voters in general have more of a problem with that than elsewhere in the country.”
Johnson estimated that by Wednesday, it has cost about $1,000 in labor and postage to process ballots that have not been fully filled out.
Hugoniot did not have an estimate Thursday but said based on the cost in Jefferson County, the price tag will be at least $1,000.
In Jefferson County, some voters who have not filled out the box have drawn a new box and written “independent” next to it, Johnson said.
“Some people are saying, ‘I shouldn’t have to say party, I don’t want people to know my party,’ ” she added.
The antipathy toward the primary ballot is not confined to Clallam and Jefferson counties.
Statewide complaints
“We have received many calls and e-mails over the past two weeks in which people have complained about having to mark a party declaration box,” Brian Zylstra, a spokesman for the state Secretary of State’s Office, said Thursday in an email.
Zylstra said in an interview that the Republican and Democratic parties are allowed to require that voters state their party affiliations.
The Republican Party uses the results to allocate 100 percent of its convention delegates.
The Democratic Party does not use the results to allocate any delegates, according to a presidential primary FAQ at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-prezprimary.
The Democratic Party relies solely on March 26 precinct caucuses.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
