Who are the real RINOs in North Idaho?

“Freedom and Liberty.”  “We the People.” Government power is directly derived from voters and shouldn’t infringe on the individual. All easy slogans around election time, and regularly self-defined as core republican beliefs.  

A perfect example of a “citizen-derived” representation of those ideals is our right to directly petition government through initiatives. And the most effective means to demonstrate that representatives serve the citizens, not vice versa, is through open and fair voting. 

In the 2023 legislative session, SJR 101 tried to make an already complicated process essentially impossible for Idaho citizens to get initiatives on the ballot. Except if you’re a deep-pocket corporation or suspiciously funded special interest. Would freedom, liberty and smaller government backers deny our right to remind forgetful representatives who they represent?  

Actually, Scott Herndon, Sage Dixon, and Heather Scott voted yes to 101 to remove your rights and support decisions being made by a few people behind closed doors. On the other hand, Mark Sauter voted to preserve our citizen representation freedoms. When this occurred a few years back, Jim Woodward stood in support of citizen representation. And it seems whenever there’s a vote to restrict our access and ability to vote, these same people vote the same way.      

Ask the person seeking your vote where they stand on those rights of Idaho Citizens that really count. And ask yourself “Who’s the real RINO?”

PIERRE BORDENAVE

Sandpoint