In our view: Primary = Semifinals

In the parlance of the sports world, today’s primary in Washington state is neither the Super Bowl nor the World Series. Today is the semifinals, sort of like the league championship series that determine the two best teams in baseball and football.

Actually, the top two primary is a more authentic representation of “top two.” In the football and baseball semifinals, teams are confined within their American and National leagues, and the second-best team (record-wise) might not make the Super Bowl or the World Series. That won’t happen in our primary. There are no separations into leagues, although years ago we used to have party-specific nominating processes. Now, all candidates in a particular race appear together on the ballot, and the top two vote-getters (regardless of party affiliation) advance. Presumably, more than a few nontraditional football and baseball fans wish the same could happen in their sports, without confining playoff teams into leagues. Our primary conforms perfectly to the “top two” definition. There are no winners, as such, but a whole lot of losers will be voted off the island.

With a few noteworthy exceptions. Other matters on today’s ballots — judicial races and “issue” ballot measures pertaining to libraries and fire districts — will be decided today. And that’s why voters should resist any thoughts of waiting until the Nov. 2 general election to participate. Today is your last chance if you want to answer the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District’s request for a levy increase, or help decide extension of current levies for Clark Fire District No. 6 and Washougal EMS services.

Many of you already have made those decisions. As of Monday, 24.9 percent of Clark County ballots had been received by mail. This fits an unofficial rule of thumb in our state’s vote-by-mail system: About one-third of the participating ballots are received the first week after ballots are mailed (July 28 this year). About one-third of the participating ballots are received the day before and the day of the primary or election. And about one-third of participating ballots are received between those two periods. So, presumably, about one third of people who will participate are doing so Monday and today.

This rule of thumb has slightly altered the dynamics of campaigns. It’s becoming more challenging for candidates to distribute campaign expenses, not knowing for sure how many people who receive the message have already voted. Here’s a second question that the top two primary poses for candidates: If it looks highly likely that you’ll make it to the fall election, should you hold back on advertising for the summer primary? This could be a good idea, or it could be a losing strategy for over-confident candidates, especially non-incumbents who might not have strong name recognition among voters.

All of this, though, is mere speculation about the nuances of politics. What is infinitely more certain today is the value of the democratic process, illuminated by your freedom to vote.

No offense to the United States Postal Service, but if you have not voted before today (Aug. 17), and if you’re uncertain your ballot will be postmarked today, you should take your ballot to a ballot drop-off station. That’s the recommendation of local elections officials, and one such drop-off site is a block east of their office, near 14th and Esther streets in downtown Vancouver. About three dozen other ballot deposit stations are scattered around the county and a list can be found at http://www.clarkvotes.com. In each primary and election, several hundred ballots are received but cannot be counted because of postmarks beyond the deadline.

To read The Columbian’s primary endorsement editorials, visit http://www.columbian.com/news/opinion.