Spin Control: Washington earns praise for political engagement

Barely a week goes by without some study by some expert or organization announcing how well or poorly it thinks Washington does in some area of politics.

Last week it was SmartAsset, a financial services group, lauding Washington for being one of the 10 most “politically engaged” states in the nation, according to its metrics. This comes at a time when the hard data suggests that Washington voters may be thinking about breaking off that engagement, or, since the study is based on comparisons with all states, we might remain in the top 10 if the curve is lowered and most of the other 49 do even worse.

A frightening prospect indeed.

The SmartAsset study compared turnout for 2012 and 2010, along with the percentage of the population registered in 2012 and the per-capita presidential donations. Washington’s 2012 turnout was a bit underwhelming, the study concluded, considering the state had legalized marijuana and gay marriage on the ballot, but the 2010 turnout was the second-best in the country. The presidential donations of $2.62 per person seemed a bit low, considering President Barack Obama and the Democrats tend to use the Seattle area as their political ATM every chance they get, but we’ve got 73 percent of the folks who are eligible registered, so we come in at No. 8. Not bad when Idaho comes in at a middling 23. But pesky Oregon is at No. 5, so no regional bragging rights.

This assessment, however, seems a bit pale after the secretary of state’s office announced the current turn-in for this year’s election stood at 9 percent on Friday, a little over a week after ballots were mailed to voters. In Spokane County, it was a marginally better 11 percent of ballots turned in. While plenty of time remains for voters to mark and mail (or mark and drop off) their ballots, historically about a fourth of ballots that are going to be cast in a general election have been turned in by the end of the first week after they’ve been sent out.

Conventional wisdom says these are the well-motivated voters who long ago made up their minds on the major races and issues on the ballot. They quickly study election information to answer any questions they might have and send their ballots off to avoid misplacing or forgetting them.

In 2010, the last midterm election, more than 40,000 ballots were in county elections officials’ hands by the end of the first full week of turn-ins. This year it’s about 31,000.

Voters statewide had a more exciting race at the top of the ticket four years ago with a U.S. Senate race, but this year’s ballot features measures on guns and schools, and what better issues to get the juices flowing?

Secretary of State Kim Wyman still projects a turnout of 60 to 62 percent in this election. But secretaries of state are always optimistic about voter turnout, by tradition if not by statute.

No. 1 in another study. Maybe.

The Hill, meanwhile, came up with a formula that declared Washington the nation’s bluest state. We could be more comfortable about that title if its researchers had been a bit more diligent in their research. States were graded based on how their voters have gone in the presidential elections, the partisan makeup of their congressional delegation, their last three governors and the makeup of their Legislature.

The D.C. newspaper correctly noted that Washington has gone Democrat in the last seven presidential elections, has two Democratic senators, six of 10 members of the House delegation are Democrats, and its last three governors were Ds (actually it’s the last five, over eight elections, but we’re not counting). “Democrats also control the Legislature,” the Hill said.

That would be a huge surprise to members of the Senate, which has been run by a mostly Republican coalition for the last two years.

It might also be fair to point out that the eastern half of the state has gone for Republican presidents during those elections, has GOP House members and usually supports unsuccessful GOP candidates for U.S. Senate and governor, as well as sending mostly Republicans to the Legislature.

When the blues west of the Cascades are merged with the reds to the east, Washington might better be described as the purplest of states.

Last call

Washington residents who want to do something about the prospect of poor turnout for the November election but aren’t registered to vote have one last chance. If they are eligible – American citizens, state residents, over 18 and haven’t lost the right to vote by being convicted of a felony or a mental commitment – they can still sign up.

But they have to do it Monday, in person, at the local county elections office. In Spokane County, that’s at 1033 W. Gardner Ave. (conveniently located between the courthouse and REI just off Monroe Street).

Can’t do it online or by mail. And this is the absolute, final, no spit Sherlock chance to register before Election Day.