Washington state gives voters many choices.  I just voted on a slew of candidates, including judges, and a slew of issues.  Not all of the choices are of great interest, so I will just tell you about the more important choices.

In the partisan races, I voted for Republicans in every race but two, the state auditor and the lieutenant governor.  The Democratic auditor, Brian Sonntag, has performed well over the years and has consistently put pressure on Democratic officials to use the taxpayer's money wisely.  The Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, Marcia McCraw, needs to get her personal life in order before she runs for office.

Three statewide Republican candidates drew my enthusiastic support, Dino Rossi, who lost so narrowly for governor in 2004, Rob McKenna, the incumbent attorney general, and Doug Sutherland, the incumbent Commissioner for Public Lands.  If I were in his legislative district, I would have voted enthusiastically for Toby Nixon.

Some of my friends at Sound Politics may be surprised to learn that I voted for Sam Reed for secretary of state.  I agree with most of their criticisms of his performance, especially his efforts to push the state toward even more use of fraud-and-error-prone absentee ballots.  But I also think that he has improved election administration in the state and — this is the crucial point — that he is preferable to his opponent.

Superintendent of Public Instruction was a difficult choice.  I am dissatisfied with the incumbent, Terry Bergeson, and unimpressed by her challenger, Randy Dorn.  (Dorn missed his first appointment on a local talk show.  When he did show up, he gave answers that I mostly liked, but I kept wondering why he had missed that first appointment.)  So I ended up casting a protest vote for California author and education blogger Joanne Jacobs.  (Yes, I know she isn't eligible and probably doesn't want the job, but, as I said, it was a protest vote.)

There were three statewide issues.  I voted for 985, to reduce traffic congestion.  I voted against 1000, a "death with dignity" initiative, since I am against death, with or without dignity.  More seriously, I became convinced that there is no need for these assisted suicide laws, after caring for a close relative in her last weeks of life — and some potential for abuse in such a law.

Washington, as I have said before, requires voters to choose judges — and then makes it nearly impossible to choose by preventing the candidates from telling us what they would do.  In the three competitive races, I chose the three recommended by a local conservative talk show host.

Sound Transit, which is determined to force us on to rail transit, whether we want to ride trains or not, had a proposition on the ballot asking for even more tax money.  I voted against it enthusiastically, and then looked to see if there was a legal way to vote against it again.  (There wasn't.)

Cross posted at Jim Miller on Politics.

(There were no lines when I voted at about 12:30, since almost everyone in Washington state votes by mail.  There were police cars on the block in front of the school where I voted, warning motorists against an oil slick on the road.)