Overview of Initiative 872
Washington’s Top-Two Primary System
The people of Washington approved Initiative 872 in the 2004 general election. The initiative implements a new form of primary election, known as a top-two primary. Under this system, the primary no longer serves to select the nominees of a political party. Rather, it merely winnows the number of candidates down to two. In a top-two primary, the two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the general election, regardless of party preference. Initiative 872applies to races for partisan office only. Partisan offices includecongressional, statewide, legislative, and most county offices. AlthoughInitiative 872 does not impact nonpartisan races in…
