Idaho open primaries supporters submit signatures to state for final round of verification

Members of Idahoans for Open Primaries submitted their signatures to the Idaho Secretary of State for final verification Tuesday, with supporters feeling optimistic they would qualify their ballot initiative for the Nov. 5 general election.

In Idaho, ballot initiatives are a form of direct democracy where the people vote on whether to pass a law, independent of the Idaho Legislature.

If it qualifies for the ballot and is approved by a simple majority of voters, the ballot initiative would end Idaho’s closed primary elections and create a ranked-choice voting system for the general election.

Taylor Jenkins is one of 250,000 independent voters in Idaho. Under a 2011 state law, political parties do not have to allow anyone who is not formally affiliated with their party to vote in their primary elections. Jenkins said he chose to remain independent politically because no party aligned with his exact views.

“I know I am not alone when I say that I felt excluded by our current closed primary system,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins said the closed primary elections frustrate him because the Republican Party enjoys a supermajority and many elections are effectively decided in the primary election before the general election.

“I feel forced to register with a party I don’t entirely believe in just so that I can have a voice,” Jenkins said. “(But) the open primaries have given me hope. This reform promises a future where Idahoans, regardless of political affiliation, have the freedom to vote in all elections without being forced to pick a party to participate in taxpayer-funded elections.”

Open primaries supporters have been gathering signatures across the state since last year

Supporters have been gathering signatures in neighborhoods and at public events across the state since last year trying to qualify the initiative for this year’s general election. To qualify for the November election, supporters must gather signatures from at least 6% of registered voters statewide and from at least 6% of voters in at least 18 of the state’s legislative districts. To meet the statewide total, open primary supporters need about 63,000 signatures in total.

Open primary supporters have already completed one round of signature verification. In a phone interview Monday, Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville said county clerks across the state have validated enough signatures to exceed both requirements. Reclaim Idaho, which is part of the open primaries coalition, is the same group behind the successful 2018 Medicaid expansion ballot initiative, which more than 60% of Idaho voters approved.

Mayville said that during the first round of signature verification this spring that counties verified nearly 75,000 signatures and verified enough signatures to qualify in 20 legislative districts, not just 18.

“All across the state, supporters are fired up about the opportunity to turn in these signatures and move on to the next phase,” Mayville told the Sun. “This is a celebration of how far we have come, and it also a launch of the next phase of the campaign, which is all about making sure that everyone in Idaho knows about the opportunity to allow all voters to participate in primary elections.”

Mayville told the Sun he expects the final signature review period to take about a week or two. Once that final review is complete, supporters will learn if the ballot initiative is officially certified for the Nov. 5 general election. If it is certified, Mayville said the open primary initiative will be called Proposition 1 on the ballots.

Supporters collected signatures from the county clerks and submitted them for the final round of verification Tuesday at the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise. More than 200 open primary supporters gathered on the steps of the Capitol at the event and formed a line that stretched inside. As they chanted “Vote yes on open primaries; vote yes on 1!” supporters passed boxes of signatures from each Idaho county down the line from the Capitol steps, up to the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office.

The Idahoans for Open Primaries coalition includes Reclaim Idaho, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, Veterans for Idaho Voters, Republicans for Open Primaries and thousands of volunteers.

The Idaho Republican Party is officially against the initiative.