Washington House adopts another open primary
The [Washington] state House, in another setback for the state's political parties, last night approved a Louisiana-style primary system that would let voters cast ballots for any candidate and would send the top two finishers to the general election.
The House, by a 51-46 vote, went for the same system that passed the state Senate last week over the objections of the parties and Gov. Gary Locke.
The House proposal adds a twist, however -- requiring the state to revert to a much-different election system patterned after Montana's if the Louisiana plan doesn't pass muster in court. ...
The Louisiana-style primary is similar to the blanket primary in that voters can cast votes for any candidate, regardless of party. But instead of one candidate from each party advancing, only the two people with the most votes would appear on the November ballot.
The fallback "open primary, private choice" system used in Montana lets voters pick one party's ballot for the primary, but no record is kept of their party choice. -- House approves Louisiana-style primary (Seattle Times)