Shawn Griffiths
The Idaho secretary of state announced this week that Idahoans for Open Primaries turned in enough signatures for its ballot initiative to end the state's closed primary system.
The coalition of reformers, which includes Reclaim Idaho, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, Veterans for Idaho Voters, and Republicans for Open Primaries, turned in more than 90,000 signatures to get on the ballot.
The secretary of state's office verified roughly 75,000 of the signatures turned in. Idahoans for Open Primaries needed about 63,000 signatures, including 6% of registered voters in 18 of the state's 35 legislative districts.
If approved, the initiative would reform the state's elections process to conduct nonpartisan open primaries, in which all voters and candidates participate on a single primary ballot.
Like the reform model adopted in Alaska, the top four vote-getters, regardless of party, would move on to the general election which would be conducted with ranked choice ballots.
“The right to vote is one of the most precious rights that Americans have," former Idaho Governor Butch Otter has stated.
"Every registered voter should have the right to weigh in on choosing our leaders. Independents, including a lot of military veterans, have been excluded from having their say because of the closed GOP primary.”
The initiative would enfranchise 270,000 registered independent voters who are currently denied a say in the taxpayer-funded elections process. It is one of 6 statewide reforms in the US to level the playing field for all voters.