[EM] Open primary

[Anthony Simmons]

>> From: LAYTON Craig
>> Subject: RE: Mixed Condorcet-Plurality

>> US primaries are a very unique phenomenon,
>> especially where people who aren't part of a
>> particular political party can rock up and
>> vote for who will be the official candidate of
>> that political party.  For those of us who are
>> more used to the Westminster tradition, this
>> seems a little silly.  It's like letting
>> anyone (not just shareholders) vote for the
>> board of directors of a company.  I nominate
>> Fidel Castro to be Director of Microsoft.

In Washington State, USA, where I live, we
currently have an open primary, where anyone can
vote for any candidate in any party primary The
Supreme Court just decided that we can't do that
any more.  But the current system is very popular
here, and they want to preserve as much of it as
possible.  So now they have come up with
something called the "Washington Primary", in
which all candidates run in a single big election
in the primary, and the first and second place
candidates run in the final.  In other words, two
round runoff.  No more primary.

Not that big a change.