Many are called, but few are chosen

Washington's primary election is scheduled for August 4.  I mailed in my ballot two days ago -- the day I received it, July 16. 

Yes, Washington is one of five "mandatory mail-in ballot" states.  We have no polls.  A ballot is sent to everyone who is registered.  It can be returned by mail, postmarked no later than August 4.  Or it can be dropped off in person at one of a number of collection points, again, no later than August 4.

This year's voting was rather boring.  I have a strong tendency to vote for incumbents in my own party (Democratic), and most incumbents are running for re-election..  My pro-incumbent bias is so strong that I even voted for the Republican incumbent for Secretary of State.  I did so because that position isn't really a political position, and because the Republican incumbent has strongly advocated for our mail-in voting system -- in spite of her president's fulminations against mail-in voting as a hotbed of fraud and error and -- especially -- a device that makes it too easy for the poor and the minorities to vote against him.

Oh, that's our other peculiarity.  Like California, our primary is not a device for helping parties select their candidates.  Each candidate is allowed to indicate on the ballot which party he "prefers," but the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes face off in the general election, irrespective of party choice.  So it's possible, for example, to have two Democrats running in the general election against each other, with no Republican on the ballot. 

For governor, I voted for our Democratic incumbent, Jay Inslee, who most people agree has done a fine job in general, and an excellent job specifically with handling the pandemic in a rational and scientifically supported manner. 

We do get a voters' pamphlet, shortly before we receive our ballots, with statements by each candidate.  To my amazement, this year we have 36 candidates for governor.  Under the old party system, only Democrats and Republicans appeared on the primary ballot; other parties were allowed to choose candidates for the general election by nominating convention.  Now, the only way third party candidates get on the general election ballot is by becoming one of the top two voter choices in the primary.  For most, their chances of being on the general election ballot are thus nearly zero.  To publicize their views, therefore, the primary election voters' pamphlet is their final opportunity.

Now that third party candidates don't have to be selected by a convention -- merely declare the name of the party preference -- the floodgates are apparently open.  For my readers' education and possible amusement, I'm listing the parties "preferred" by candidates, followed by the number so classifying themselves.

Republican Party                                11
Trump Republican Party                      3
Pre2016 Republican Party                   1
Democratic Party                                 4
"Democrat" Party                                 1
Stand Up America Party                      1
Unaffiliated Party                                 1
Socialist Workers Party                        1
Green Party                                          1
Propertarianist Party                             1
Independent Party                                3
American Patriot Party                         1
Fifth Republic Party                             1
Cascadia Labour Party                         1
New-Liberty Party                               1
No Party                                               4

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is democracy in action.  Ain't it grand?