Voting done right

I just had the privilege of participating in my very first Washington State primary (I missed the presidential primary as we were still Kentucky residents when it occurred), and I have to say it was perhaps my most pleasant voting experience ever. Why? Let me count the ways:

• Voting in much of the state - and in the entirety of my locale of Thurston County - is done by mail-in ballot. At first, I admit this seemed more than a little weird to me. The whole concept of voting is not nearly such an event when it doesn't involve getting up early before work to drive to the local fire station or high school to pull a lever or push a button (or punch out a chad, for that matter). However, on reflection I find that mailing in my ballot is quite pleasant. It allows for more serious contemplation of your vote. No pressure to get out of the booth and let someone else use their constitutional rights. Time to google the candidates and consider their positions. And if you drop your ballot in one of the drop boxes around town, you don't even need a stamp.
• The top-two primary. After much debate and hand-wringing, this primary was the first in the state to use a party neutral, two-top format. This means that the two candidates with the most votes in the primary regardless of party will be the two choices come November. I LOVE this. I think it will really encourage voter turnout for both parties, that it is more in line with the will of the majority, and that it turns party-driven politics on its head. Fabulous. Sadly, it doesn't apply to the presidential election. *sigh*
• The candidate brochure. Why doesn't every state do this? About a week before Matt and I got our ballots in the mail, a handy magazine-sized brochure arrived in the mail. In form, it resembled nothing so much as the instructions that come with your tax forms - thin, newspaper like paper, etc. But in content, it was phenomenal. Inside was a picture of each of the candidates running for every office on the upcoming ballot organized in the same order that the ballot would be. And each candidate was given a few paragraphs to summarize their position and what they hoped to accomplish in office. Genius. No more voting for candidates and offices you've never even heard of before. Just consult your candidate brochure and pick the person whose policies seem to mesh with yours. I love this idea. Every state should adopt it. I'm just glad mine already has.