Open Primaries Initiative Presentation
On Wednesday afternoon, March 6 local resident, Mike Davis, a supporter of the Open Primaries Initiative, put on a presentation at Meadows Valley Public Library. Information was provided about what the Open Primaries Initiative proposes and what it would mean for Idaho voters if it is passed by voters this fall. Mike did not represent any group, he was just representing himself.
Mike said that under current Idaho law, political parties nominate candidates through primary elections in which party members vote for a candidate to represent their party in the general election. The Open Primaries Initiative would create a system where all candidates would participate in a top four primary in which primary voters can vote for any candidate on the ballot regardless of their affiliation. Candidates will still be able to list their affiliation, if they want, but the primary itself would be nonpartisan. The top four vote earners for each office in the Primary would advance to the General Election.
The Open Primaries Initiative would also require a Ranked Choice Voting system for the General Election. Under current law, voters may select one candidate for each office and the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of whether they get a majority of the votes cast.
Under the proposed Ranked Choice Voting system, voters rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference. They need not rank every candidate, if they choose not to. After each vote tally the candidate with the least votes has their votes redistributed to the remaining candidates based on the voters next ranked choice. The winner is determined when only two candidates remain and whichever of them has a majority of the votes cast is elected.
Mike said that the purpose of the Open Primaries Initiative is to give more power to Idaho voters by having a Top Four Primary in which all voters are allowed to vote for the candidate they would like to see on the General Election Ballot rather than being restricted to those on a particular party ballot. Ranked Choice Voting would ensure that the winning candidate in the General Election would enjoy a level of support from a majority of the voters who voted in the General Election.
Mike’s personal experience of being registered as an unaffiliated voter for most of his voting life is the reason he is supportive of this initiative. Under the current system, he and around 270,000 other registered Idaho voters are unable to vote in the primary election without changing their party affiliation. Mike said that he is registered as unaffiliated because he votes for who he considers to be the best candidate and does not remember in fifty-seven years ever voting a straight party ticket. Because of this he feels that all voters should be allowed to vote for the candidate of their choice in the primary regardless of the candidate’s party affiliation. In addition the increasing number of voters in the nation who identify as independent/unaffiliated has increased steadily since 1988 to the point that a Gallup Poll data from 1988-2022 found that 41% of voters see themselves as independents as opposed to 28% seeing themselves as Republican and 28% as Democrat. This indicates that our voting systems should recognize that primary voters should be allowed to choose candidates from a broad pool to go on to the General Election.
Mike shared sample ballots from the November, 2022 Alaska Open Primary, which is very similar to what is being proposed for Idaho, to demonstrate how balloting would work and how candidates for the Alaska General Election are chosen. He also shared how the votes from the 2023 Alaska General Election were counted and tallied using Ranked Choice Voting in way that is similar to the Idaho proposal.
A petition was made available to sign at the end of the presentation and Mike is hoping the Open Primaries Initiative gets on the ballot in November so all Idaho voters can have a chance to decide whether to change the way we vote or not. He said “It’s really about letting all voters have the say rather than depending upon political elite recommendations. Open Primaries trusts the people to make good choices. Whether you agree or disagree with the proposed initiative it is important that all Idaho Voters have the opportunity to decide the voting system that is used in Idaho”
Petitions have been circulating in the area and if you are interested in signing one you can contact the Idahoans for Open Primaries group at openprimariesid.org/sign-the-petition to find one near you.
Below are a few references to consider:
The official initiative with changes to current law identified: sos.idaho.gov/elections/initiatives/2024/idaho_open_primaries_act.pdf
(FAQ) about the Idaho Open Primaries Inititiative: openprimariesid.org/faq
R-Street (a center-right think tank) Evaluation of Alaska Ranked Choice Voting: rstreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/REALFINAL_policy-short-no-122-no-embargo.pdf
Cato Institute (a libertarian think tank) comments on success of Alaskan Ranked Choice Voting: www.cato.org/blog/evaluating-alaskas-first-run-final-four-voting
U.S. Party Preferences Evenly Split in 2022 After Shift to GOP: news.gallup.com/poll/467897/party-preferences-evenly-split-2022-shift-gop.aspx
