Presidential primary’s end will save more than $44,000 here

Whitman County will not hold a presidential primary in 2012, after Gov. Chris Gregoire last Friday signed a bill to do away with that election.

The change, proposed as a cost-savings measure by Secretary of State Sam Reed, means once again all of the state’s electoral delegates will be selected by precinct caucuses and state party conventions.

Whitman County Auditor Eunice Coker supported the move, citing its cost-savings and saying it held little relevance in whom the state selected for its presidential nominees.

“For an independent, blanket primary, independents like I am, I want to vote for who I want to vote for, no matter what party they’re in,” said Coker.

The 2008 presidential primary selected 19 of the state’s 40 delegates to the Republican national convention. None of the delegates to the Democratic convention were tied to the primary results.

Both Gov. Gregoire and Sec. Reed said in press releases they wanted the primary to count for delegate selection. They said it is more inclusive of all voters than the caucus method.

Voters in 2008 were sent three ballots, one Republican, one Democratic and one Independent, and were instructed only to vote for their party.

“The thing is, you have to declare a party, but we don’t register voters by party,” said Coker. “So you could have someone from another party vote for the goofiest guy on the planet so their candidate has an easier run.”

Reed in a press release said cancellation of the presidential primary, which was started in 1989, would save the state $10 million.

The cost of running the primary in Whitman County was $44,694. Those costs were reimbursed by the state.

Coker said there were additional costs in storing and inventorying the ballots in case they are requested by political parties.

Which, she said, is what happened.

According to Coker, the political parties did obtain the partisan ballots so they could solicit support or funds from voters who opted for candidates running under their mantle.

The primary also stoked contention amongst some local voters.

“This is not communism, and I can vote for who I want,” one voter scrawled on his return envelope, accompanied by a drawing of a hand with an extended middle finger.

Whitman County voters returned 36 percent of the 17,465 ballots in the 2008 presidential preference primary.