befuddlement

Language is access to power, as I've stated before. Now, more than ever, voting resembles a literacy test. Thanks to a recent court order banning Washington's classic "open primary," the new ballots and instructions are more bloated--and confusing--than ever, especially for Thurston County voters, as election officials are discovering. (I haven't sent my ballot in yet; it's due Tuesday).

You're supposed to choose one of four ballots--Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Non-partisan--and then vote for candidates on a punch card that includes the numbers for all the ballots. In Washington, judges are considered non-partisan, and so many voters send in two ballots--Republican and Non-partisan, for example--instead of just one. (The non-partisan races are on the back of the partisan ballots, but most folks miss that.)

"Reading is the basics for all learning," said a certain political genius who was elected largely due to a confusing ballot. And it's certainly the basis for functional democracy.

Update: early results for Thurston County are in, and they're not pretty: under 20% participation. Ouch.

Update update: absentee ballots have pushed the total to over 26%, but voter turnout still is well below normal.