Kitsap County Auditor Karen Flynn is right. Washington voters aren’t likely going to be happy about having to declare their party of preference and cast in favor of only Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or non-partisan candidates in the primary.

Many who vote would rather not be pigeonholed by the party system. Many like to have a choice to do as they will at the polls. What happens if nine out of 10 votes by an individual are Republican but the voter also feels a Democrat in a particular position would do the best job? If the voter marks his or her party as Republican, a Democrat tally is null and void in the primary. This, of course, also holds true for Libertarians and non-partisans or any combination of the four.

But any way one cuts the ballot, the end result is a more restrictive format — which equates to less freedom in the one place Americans should truly be allowed to express themselves. This is unconstitutional? Absurd.

Believe it or not, Americans still value the freedom of choice. As sad as our numbers at the polls may be, they could be much worse. This primary ballot format won’t help in this regard.

Whatever happened to the “independent,” i.e. don’t-put-me-in-a-donkey-or-elephant-shaped-box designation?

In an election where everything from a county commissioner and governor to the President of the United States will be selected, it is unwise to disenchant the voting population. Yet this is exactly what’s happening. Voters with long partisan track records in Washington still deserve a choice whether or not to cross party lines in the primary. The loss of this option is huge but whether it will have a deterring effect has yet to be determined.