Sec. 2 was deemed MUCH more important than Sec. 1 in 1866 — to break the ex-slavery regimes.

When will the U.S.A. gerrymander regime totally implode ???

If I read the initiative correctly, it will also permit fusion endorsements.

I didn’t see anything in the Oregon initiative. In a quick glance through Oregon statutes, I didn’t see anything about write-in filing. Oregon doesn’t require W-I to be attributed to individual candidates unless the total number of W-I is enough for someone to be elected or nominated.

Oregon does have a provision that says if a person is apparently elected or nominated by W-I votes that he must make a formal acceptance on a form devised by the Secretary of State. I suppose that the SoS could have a W-I nominee indicate their registration status. I think parties may also make separate endorsements for both the primary and general election under the Top 2 initiative.

Washington permits formal W-I filings, and the SoS Top 2 regulations permit a W-I filer to indicate a party preference, which would appear on the general election ballot if the W-I candidate is in the Top 2. Washington also requires a Top 2 candidate to receive 1% of the vote in the primary to be on the general election ballot, so that if there is only a single candidate on the primary ballot, someone couldn’t get on the general election ballot with just a handful of write-ins, but they could with a somewhat organized campaign.

Washington has sore loser provisions with regard to W-I. Candidates eliminated in the primary, whether on the ballot or as W-I may not file as W-I for the general election. Moreover, W-I votes cast for such persons are not valid in the general election.

Linda Smith from Washington won the Republican nomination to Congress as a W-I candidate in 1994 (under the blanket primary), and went on to be elected in the general election. She was a former legislator, had been involved in several initiative drives, and made considerable effort explaining to voters how to cast a write-in ballot. In addition, an on-ballot candidate for the nomination had informally withdrawn.

The mail-in ballots used in Oregon and Washington may make it easier to cast a write-in ballot, since a voter isn’t rushed, standing up in non-ideal lighting, and has a writing device handy. It may be more difficult to reach voters who vote as soon as they receive their ballot.

Washington state, which will begin using the “top two” this year, will allow write-ins in the second round, as I understand it.

I’m not sure whether the Oregon measure includes a provision for write-ins. RichardW and JimR know more about these details than I do.