Once voters across the state try out the first Top-Two primary in August, voters in Pierce County will be the first to introduce an entire new election system to Washington this fall.
The new election system, called Ranked Choice Voting, allows voters to select their top three candidates for several county seats up for election this November, including the county executive and council. Some county positions, as well as state and federal seats, will be elected under traditional means.
In preparation for the history-making election this November, the Pierce County Auditor and her staff are working hard to prepare the election and the candidates running for office.
"It's all about voter confidence," says Pierce County Auditor Pat McCarthy. "We work hard on building that confidence. I'm blessed with a wonderfully talented staff and we've spent hundreds and hundreds of hours working on this already."
Ranked Choice Voting, or RCV, was approved by Pierce County voters two years ago and McCarthy has been working since then to prepare the county government to provide the largest and first partisan RCV election in the nation. The auditor plans to spend $250,000 to educate voters about the new system of selecting county officials after the state's first Top-Two primary takes place in August. There are some states on the East Coast and jurisdictions in California currently using similar systems, but Pierce County will be the state's guinea pig this November.
"That's what the voters wanted and we're going with it," says McCarthy.
RCV works like a run-off election where the candidate who receives the most first-choice selections wins. If there is no majority winner after the first count, the candidate with the fewest first-choice selections is dropped and those ballots with that candidate ranked first are re-counted for their second choice. If the second count doesn't turn up a majority winner, voters whose first two choices lost get their third pick awarded to that candidate.
Confusing, maybe. But advocates, as well as McCarthy, are telling voters that this new election system is all about adding choices. McCarthy says she thinks voters will appreciate the amount of choice they have come November.
"It's complex, perplexing, and many don't truly understand it. But I think some will enjoy it, and I think voters will eventually say, 'I like choices,'" says McCarthy.
RCV does not require a primary election but has doubled the volume of ballots to be issued this fall in Pierce County and required McCarthy and her staff to establish new regulations for political parties to select their approved candidates. The implementation of the system is not easy and a little expensive, according to McCarthy. Lori Augino, the elections manager for Pierce County, said the projected total costs for the 2008 general election are $2.8 million. Before Ranked Choice Voting, Augino estimates the cost would be $1.1 million. The county also brought on elections specialist Rebecca Brauhn to the auditor's staff to help with the implementation.
The RCV movement is also gaining interest in King County. Advocates brought the issue before the King County Charter Commission earlier this year along with many supporters. Led by Seattle teacher Joe Szwaja, who ran for Seattle City Council last year and is president of RCV of Washington, RCV supporters outnumbered all other advocates before the Charter Commission Review Committee.
"We want to build on the success in Pierce County and bring more voices and more choices for people," says Szwaja. "Momentum is gaining."
As a result of the testimonial support in favor of RCV, Szwaja says the Charter Review Committee recommended the county council establish a panel in 2009 that studies the feasibility of adding RCV to King County elected positions.
"Our big victory was getting the interest of the King County Charter Review Commission," says Szwaja. "At first they weren't even looking at us. But we made the case and we made the point that there is no reason to wait."
According to Kelly Houghton, a Pierce County resident who served on the Charter Review Commission responsible for bringing the RCV amendment in 2006, the energy surrounding the initial run in Pierce County is evident in the number of candidates who are filing for office this week. He says the RCV races of Pierce County will be the only contests this fall that have more than two candidates for each position, including the county executive slot that, he expects, will feature two Democrats and two Republicans on the ballot.
While some candidates have been confused about how to run their campaigns, Houghton says the change is providing the opportunity for innovative ideas.
"One candidate asked me, 'I don't know what I'm doing; do you have any ideas?' and I told him, 'Well have you tried asking groups that have endorsed other candidates to endorse you as their second choice?'" says Houghton. "And he said, 'No I haven't, but I will now.'"