OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A growing number of candidates in Washington state are shunning mainstream political parties and identifying with very small or apparently invented parties.
Among parties listed on the Aug. 17 primary ballot: the “Lower Taxes Party,” the “Bull Moose Party,” and even the “Neither Party.”
The trend is a quirk of the state’s “top-two” primary system in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, compete with each other. The two garnering the most votes for a given office advance to the November general election.
First used two years ago following a voter initiative, Washington’s system allows candidates to be listed on the ballot as “preferring” any party they wish.