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As someone who wants more civil, issues focused elections, I agree with the editor that we need to reconsider the way we vote.

When our officials need to spend their time raising money instead of governing, they are beholden to big money. When our districts are created in a bi-partisan gerrymander, healthy competition is lost. When vote-splitting means we elect candidates with a minority of the vote, the majority does not get what they want.

Washington leads in many election procedures: easy voter registration, open primaries, no arbitrary voter-access requirements and long experience in vo...