By the end of the day on Tuesday, Washington voters will have had their first experience with the state’s new “top two” primary election.

The resulting November choices may appear a bit bland by comparison to past elections, but the choice will be simple — one candidate or the other.

Gone from the general election ballot will be the likes of libertarians, socialists, greens, anti-vivisectionists, constitutionalists and other minor parties.

Voters had overwhelmingly approved of the state’s old blanket primary, which allowed them to skip around the ballot and choose candidates from any party.

The activists and leaderships of the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties went to court to dump the system that served the state well for more than 70 years. They said it interfered with the parties’ right to choose their own candidates.

After one election in which they were forced to choose ballots from a single party, the voters rebelled and enacted the top-two primary system, the closest facsimile of the old blanket primary available. The parties fought again, only to have the U.S. Supreme Court uphold the people’s decision.

The result is that the parties have even less control over the nominating process than they did under the old blanket primary. Candidates now may indicate their party “preference” on the ballot without the approval of the party.

We now have the real possibility of two candidates from the same party facing off in the general election. In Seattle, the Democratic Party dominates the city’s politics and same-party runoffs are likely in some legislative districts.

But most of the legislative races in the state will see a Democrat and a Republican on their November ballots.

We have seen big changes in our electoral system in a relatively short time. The top-two primary and the all-mail ballot have altered the dynamics of elections.

Many of us remember the excitement that once surrounded Election Day. Absentee ballots were only allowed under limited circumstances for out-of-town travelers and shut-ins.

If you wanted to vote you went to your local polling place. There you would find tables manned by some of your neighbors, volunteers who checked to make sure your registration was valid and handed you a ballot.

Tuesday is no longer Election Day. It is the final day in a three-week process of voters marking their ballots and sending them off in the mail.

It seems somehow an anti-climax when compared to the vigor of the blanket primary and the traditional trip to the polls.

Still, the voice of the people must be heard. So, if you haven’t already, please vote.

• Editorials reflect the consensus opinion of the editorial board and are written by its members: Publisher L. Stedem Wood, Editor Don Nelson and City Editor Dick Clever.