King County Council votes unanimously for the Oxford comma

The Metropolitan King County Council listened for hours Tuesday, as members of the public took time in the middle of a weekday to offer public testimony on a matter of grave importance.

Then, the County Council voted unanimously to endorse the use of the Oxford comma.

That was a trick, right there — a bit of rhetorical tomfoolery to make you think the impassioned public testimony and the Oxford comma were connected. And it’s just the sort of ambiguity and confusion (sort of) that the County Council seeks to avoid by legislatively declaring the Oxford comma “the standard for King County ordinances and motions.”

Nobody, in fact, testified about the Oxford comma. They testified about a proposal to move people out of King County Jail and into a regional jail in Des Moines. But the County Council was conflicted on that proposal and so it delayed a vote and moved on to the rest of its agenda.

The council voted to designate two “no shooting” zones in unincorporated areas between Maple Valley and Kent. It voted to endorse a federal legislative agenda for 2023.

And it voted that when writing legislation a comma must be used after the next-to-last item in a series of three or more items when the next-to-last and last items are separated by a conjunction.

Come again?

OK, at this point, perhaps an example could help.

My favorite foods are noodles, sandwiches and doughnuts. In that sentence, some grammarians put a comma after the word sandwiches — that’s an Oxford comma — while some leave it out.

According to the legislation, use of the Oxford comma (also known as the serial comma) has not been the standard when writing ordinances and motions in King County. It is now.

Erin Auzins, a staffer for the County Council, said the change would improve clarity, avoid ambiguity and help avoid awkward writing.

“I personally have had to rewrite subsections of code to avoid using a serial comma,” Auzins said. “This change will allow new items to be added to lists in the code more simply in the future.”

Councilmember Joe McDermott, the lead sponsor, was stone-faced and solemn as he pitched his proposal. He gave no introduction, and instead dived into an anecdote.

“Imagine, colleagues, you’re at a restaurant, a crowded restaurant, and you hear at the table next to you, ‘They gathered information from the council member, a liar and a cheat,'” McDermott paused for effect, letting the implication sink in. (Politicians, such showmen!)

“There can be confusion in that comment about whether the party you overheard gathered information from three parties: a council member, a liar, and a cheat, or whether the council member is a liar and a cheat.”

“For your own reputations, I urge you to vote ‘yes’ on this legislation.”

Nobody wants to be confused for a liar and a cheat. The vote was unanimous.

“My ‘yes’ vote in favor of doing this in ordinances and motions does not endorse the use of it in all situations in literature and creative writing,” said Council Chair Dave Upthegrove. (Politicians, always hedging!)

“One of my staff is vehemently opposed to this, but I overruled him and I think we should all support this,” said Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles. (Politicians, always bigfooting!)

The (still anonymous) staff member declined an interview request made through the County Council.

Chase Gallagher, a spokesperson for County Executive Dow Constantine, said they hadn’t discussed the comma legislation but had “no indication that it won’t be signed.” (Politicians, can’t pin ’em down!)

If it seems like this is an issue that could be resolved without legislation, well, it could be worse.

Two years ago, not only did the County Council have to vote to approve a grammatical change to the county charter, but the change also required a vote of the people.

Council vote aside, there is no unanimity on the comma issue. The Associated Press Stylebook, the touchstone for most American newspapers, generally does not approve of the Oxford comma. The Chicago Manual of Style, probably the AP’s chief style competitor, recommends the Oxford comma.

The Seattle Times, following AP style, generally does not use the Oxford comma.

“But there’s a reason we call them style guidelines, not style laws,” said Kris Higginson, The Seattle Times’ A.M. news desk chief. “Common sense and clarity are paramount. Sometimes you need to be flexible about style for readers’ sake.”

Consider these two sentences, Higginson wrote:

I love my grandparents, the Labrador retriever and the beagle.

I love my grandparents, the Labrador retriever, and the beagle.

“One little comma helps us avoid calling our grandparents dogs,” she wrote.

Similarly, AP Stylebook editors said they don’t ban the Oxford comma, just that they’re usually not needed.

“If a comma doesn’t help make clear what is being said, don’t use it,” they wrote in 2017.

For what it’s worth, a 1931 copy of The Seattle Times Stylebook takes no position on the Oxford comma, but does include these (antiquated) gems:

“Except in the cases of transfusions and hounds there is generally no need for using ‘blood.'”

“Ladies are women; all women are not ladies.”

Still, the comma debate can elicit strong feelings.

“Ugh, no,” the city of SeaTac’s social media manager wrote about the legislation. “Haven’t used an oxford comma in over a decade.”

“Oxford comma for the win!” wrote Redmond City Council President Jessica Forsythe. “I’m so excited, stoked, and completely here for it!”

The debate is not entirely academic. In 2018, a Maine dairy company paid $5 million to settle a legal dispute with its drivers, who claimed they should have received overtime pay.

The case hinged on a state law, which listed exemptions for who must receive overtime pay. The law did not use an Oxford comma, and read as ambiguous. A federal district court ruled for the dairy company, saying the Maine Legislature’s intent was clear. But a federal appeals court saw it differently, ruling the statute was too ambiguous and should be construed liberally to achieve the law’s basic purpose: providing overtime pay.

“For want of a comma, we have this case,” U.S. Circuit Judge David Barron wrote.

On the other hand, some people don’t care at all.

Vampire Weekend, the New York-based indie rockers, addressed the issue on their debut album.

“Who gives a [expletive] about an Oxford comma?” they sang, in a song titled, appropriately, “Oxford Comma.”

Their music video has 19 million views, and counting. Maybe they have a point.