NEWS
New coalition seeks to end Idaho’s closed primary elections Idahoans for Open Primaries will attempt to qualify a ballot initiative for the November 2024 election
By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun Organizers with Reclaim Idaho have teamed up with several other organizations to file a ballot initiative for the 2024 general election that is designed to replace Idaho’s closed primary elections with open primaries that any Idaho voter could participate in, regardless of political affiliation. The initiative would also change Idaho general elections by creating a new instant runoff — also known as ranked choice — voting system. The new coalition, called Idahoans for Open Primaries, represents a collaboration between the Idaho Task Force of Veterans for Political Innovation, North Idaho Women, Represent US Idaho, the Hope Coalition and Reclaim Idaho. Members of the Idahoans for Open Primaries coalition filed the initiative May 2 at the Idaho Capitol in Boise. Supporters of the open primary initiative oppose the Idaho Republican Party’s closed primary election, which is only open to Idaho voters who file paperwork affiliating with the Idaho Republican Party. “This is a simple, common-sense reform that will give us better elections and better leadership,” former Republican Speaker of the Idaho House Bruce Newcomb said in a written statement provided to the Idaho Capital Sun. Newcomb was one of the first 20 people to sign the open primary initiative petition. In 2011, the Idaho Legislature passed a law, House Bill 351, closing Idaho’s primary elections. Even though the law closed primary elections, it also gave the leaders of political parties the ability to choose to keep their primaries open, and the Idaho Democratic Party opened its primary elections to all registered voters. Karole Honas, a longtime eastern Idaho television anchor who retired in 2020 after 30 years with Local News 8, is supporting the signature gathering drive and serving as a spokesperson for the effort.
Honas, who is a Bingham County voter, said the closed primary law backs voters in a corner. Bingham County is a conservative community and agriculture hotspot that has consistently elected Republicans for decades. The closed primary is the election that essentially decides who will represent Bingham County voters and their neighbors in government. As a journalist, Honas wanted to remain neutral and independent. But the closed primary forced her to choose between remaining neutral and affiliating with a political party in order to vote in the primary. Honas said several of her friends and neighbors felt the same pressure; they wanted to remain independent for one reason or another but did not want to miss out on crucial primary elections that shape the future of their communities. “In Bingham County, if I wanted to vote, I had to vote in the Republican primary because that was the only game in town,” Honas told the Idaho Capital Sun in a telephone interview. “It didn’t feel right.”
Honas believes opening the primary will force candidates to consider the perspectives of a broader group of voters in order to win an election. She also said the change will bring independents into the primary process. Under the proposed initiative, the top four voter-getters would advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. “I think it will bring more voters to the table, and I like the idea of the top four going on to the general election,” Honas said. “I think there is a good chance we will get better leaders.” Hyrum Erickson, a Republican precinct committeeman from Rexburg, has committed to collecting signatures for the open primary initiative, according to a press release issued by Idahoans for Open Primaries leaders. Precinct committee positions in Idaho are elected by party from each voting precinct in the state. The precinct committeemen help the party with voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, are involved with party leadership at the county level and help elect
candidates. (Precinct committeemen and precinct committeeman are the terms used in Idaho law to describe the positions, but the positions can be held by anybody — not just men.) “Our current primary system incentivizes candidates to demonize people who disagree with them rather than focus on solving problems,” Erickson said in a written statement. What would the new open primary ballot initiative do? The new open primary initiative is designed to fundamentally change elections in Idaho. If it qualifies for the ballot and is approved by a majority of voters, the open primary initiative would do away with the closed primary system. In its place, the initiative would create a “top four” primary election where all candidates run against each other in the same primary election, and the top four vote-getters would advance to the general election in November. Procedures for the general election would also change to include a new instant runoff process,
which is also commonly referred to as ranked choice voting. Here’s how that would work: During the general election, Idaho voters would vote for their first choice of candidate. Voters would also have the ability to rank the other candidates in order of preference. If no candidate won more than 50% of the first-choice votes, a process of elimination based on voters’ ballot rankings would begin. The candidate who finished last would be eliminated, and their share of the votes would instead go to the candidate whom the voter had ranked second-choice on the ballot. The process would repeat until one candidate received more than 50% of the votes. That candidate would be declared the winner. The new open primary initiative in Idaho is similar to a successful Alaska ballot initiative that voters in the state approved during the 2020 election. If the ballot initiative passes, Idaho would join Maine and Alaska as the third state to offer instant
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‘Ledges Fire’ burning uncontrolled on 20 acres east of U.S. Hwy. 2 By Reader Staff It is months before the traditional start to “fire season” in North Idaho, but area skies have already been visited by smoke from a blaze located about 1.5 miles east of U.S. Highway 2, south of the Pend Oreille Wildlife Management Area. What fire managers are calling the “Ledges Fire” is believed to have ignited May 2 at approximately 8:30 p.m., and as of press time was being battled by crews from the Idaho Department of Lands and Selkirk Fire, Rescue and EMS. According to a news release May 3 from IDL, the fire is currently uncontained and uncontrolled, while its cause is under investigation.
Five engines and 18 crew members fought the fire through the night of May 2, and were relieved by fresh personnel on the morning of May 3. “If you live near the fire, do not fly drones,” IDL cautioned. “Should the need to use aircraft arise, the aircraft will be grounded if unauthorized drones are in the air, putting resources and the lives of fire personnel at risk.” Furthermore, officials reminded that residents planning to engage in a burning operation this spring should exercise caution. “If your fire escapes, and you are found negligently responsible, you will be held liable for the costs of suppressing the fire,” IDL stated. The department shared a num-
ber of tips to help prevent planned burns from becoming uncontrolled, as well as limit liability if flames do escape: • A responsible adult is required by law to be in attendance until the fire is out; • Clear all flammable material and vegetation within 10 feet of the outer edge of the pile; • Keep a water supply and shovel close to the burning site; • If it’s windy and the surrounding vegetation is dry, it may be best to wait and burn debris another day; • Keep your pile at a manageable size. Add additional debris slowly as the pile burns down; • Look up. Choose a safe site for burning that’s away from power lines, overhanging limbs, build-
ings, vehicles, and equipment. More information about fire prevention and burning guidelines can be found at idl.idaho. gov/fire-management/fire-prevention-and-preparedness. Follow updates on the Ledges Fire, and any other area fires, at idl.idaho.gov/ fire-management/fire-news-feed. May 4, 2023 / R / 7