Prop 1
Approximately 30% of the 600,000 registered Republican voters participate in the closed Idaho Republican primary. This means that a Republican seeking statewide office in Idaho needs approximately 100,000 primary votes to win the primary.
Said another way, under the current system, a Republican office seeker needs to get the support of approximately 10% of the 1 million registered voters to win statewide office. For example, approximately 100 members of the current legislature faced no opposition, or only token opposition in the last election.
The reality of a small minority of Idahoans being the drivers of the political process of the state is bad for the state and bad for citizens. Government of the people should reflect the general will of the people. A process that thwarts that purpose is faulty at its core.
The Open Primaries Initiative, on the ballot this fall, is a means of restoring the general will of the people as the driver of Idaho’s political process. It is a fair, honest, easy to understand, and easy to use process for getting every registered voter his or her fully counting vote. Please vote yes on Proposition 1 — for a better Idaho future.