Voting system overhaul on the ballot for Idaho this fall

This November, Idahoans will decide whether to overhaul the voting system in favor of ranked-choice voting and open primaries. 

Luke Mayville is the spokesperson for Idahoans for Open Primaries, the political organization behind the Open Primaries Initiative, which will appear on the ballot as Proposition1.

“This initiative will really give the voters of Idaho the power to choose who their own candidates are, which is what was intended by the founders of our state and the founders of our country,” Mayville said. 

All candidates would appear on the same ballot and voters from any political party — or no party at all — would participate in the same primary. 

The top four candidates move forward to the general election, where voters would then rank up to four candidates in order of preference.

“In Idaho, a lot of times, that’ll mean, you know, maybe it’s three Republicans and one Democrat all go to the general, but it’s really up to the voters,” Mayville said. 

Idaho currently has a closed primary system, where only members of each political party can vote for that party’s candidate. 

More than a quarter of registered voters in the state are unable to vote in closed primaries. 

“So many voters do not feel that they have a voice because we have this restrictive, closed primary election system that really only allows a small group of voters to choose who has power in our state, who our elected officials are,” Mayville said. “We think every voter should have a voice.”

More than 97,000 signatures were collected across all of Idaho’s counties to make it happen, Mayville said, and the”Yes on 1” campaign has already begun.

Supporters of the Open Primaries Initiative gather at the Boise State Capitol building on July 2. (Credit: Idahoans for Open Primaries)

A video explaining how the voting system would work has already been shared online, and fundraising will continue for outreach efforts, Mayville said. 

The Idaho Freedom Foundation, a conservative think tank, and Idaho Freedom Action President Ronald M. Nate released a statement saying they plan to educate Idaho voters on the problems with rank-choice voting.

“The so-called ‘open primaries’ initiative is better described as ‘rigged choice voting’ through a jungle-primary,” Nate said in the statement.

Should the new election system be implemented, “Idaho’s rural counties would be forced to spend vast sums of taxpayer money to upgrade voting equipment, and the state would have to invest millions to educate voters on the new voting procedures,” he added.

Oregon and Nevada will also vote on ranked-choice voting this fall.