Measure 90: Are ‘open primaries’ a good idea?

Oregon voters soon will decide whether to join Washington and California in adopting a “top-two” primary election system.

Currently, the two major parties, the Democrats and Republicans, choose their nominees in the May primary. Under Measure 90, those primaries would be abolished and replaced with a nonpartisan primary, putting all candidates on a single ballot.

It would give Oregon’s roughly 518,000 unaffiliated voters the chance to vote in May primary elections. The top two vote-getters, regardless of their party, would then advance to the general election in November.

Deschutes County Clerk Nancy Blankenship recently addressed the League of Women Voters, not taking a side, but answering questions and clearing up a few myths about the measure.

“I was doing a lot of clarification,” she said. “Some of the things that are going to occur is that there would be the opportunity to have the party listed like it is today, but it would say registered, or the opportunity to have an endorsement from another party, and that would also be listed.”

Proponents say it will empower the growing number of voters who are not registered with either of the two major parties.

Opponents, including the major parties, argue it reduces voter choices in the general election and takes away the ability of party voters to choose nominees to represent them.

“It would just be a different way of electing,” Blankenship said.

This is not the first time Oregonians will vote on a top two primary measure. Back in 2008, a similar initiative failed by a wide margin.

You can learn much more about the pros and cons, and who supports and opposes the measure, at http://ballotpedia.org/Oregon_Open_Primary_Initiative,_Measure_90_%282014%29

It’s also the topic of our latest KTVZ.COM Poll, halfway down the right side of our home page.