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Bonner County volunteers began working in mid-December, stood outside of different venues collecting signatures during the cold and did not stop until the deadline on April 30, 2018. Over 1,000 Reclaim Idaho volunteers in our state collected 96 percent of the required 56,192 signatures needed to put Prop 2 on the ballot. Reclaim Idaho, a nonpartisan group, was founded by Luke Mayville, and Emily and Garrett Strizich. Luke and Garrett both graduated from Sandpoint High School.

This heroic feat started right here in Sandpoint in the summer of 2017. In Bonner County, 120 volunteers collected 2,574 valid signatures. The effort quickly spread through a network of county leaders in 23 districts statewide. Against all odds, the volunteers succeeded.

Some signatures were also collected by a group called the Fairness Project, a nonprofit group dedicated to improving lives. They paid $500,000 to a company called Fieldworks for their signature gatherers. Contrast that to the $45,000 Reclaim Idaho paid for the cost to collect 54,000 signatures. Reclaim paid just one tenth as much as the Fairness Project for twice the number of signatures. That’s what I call volunteer power!

These volunteers worked tirelessly to put this on the ballot to help fellow Idahoans out of concern for their friends and neighbors. You can help bring healthcare to 62,000 Idahoans at little or no cost to Idaho. Join these dedicated volunteers and the Idaho Sheriff’s Association and vote yes on Prop 2.

LINDA LARSON

Sandpoint