Supreme Court rules in favor of Washington state top-two primary (WoW!)

The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld Washington's top-two primary system, delivering a huge defeat for the state's political parties.

The decision means the state will dump its unpopular "pick-a-party" primary that's been in place while the top-two system was being challenged in court. The new system will be used for the state primary on Aug. 19.

Under the top-two primary, the two candidates with the most votes would move on to the general election, regardless of political affiliation.

"Wow!" Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed, who supported the top two primary, said when he learned of the court's ruling. "It means the people of the state of Washington are going to be able to control who gets elected through this process."...(more)