GOP looks to restrict primary participation

COEUR D’ALENE — A party resolution passed out of committee that would catalyze a potential lawsuit against the Secretary of State to enforce its rules regarding who may participate in Republican primary elections.

The resolutions committee met Thursday on the first day of the 2024 Idaho Republican Convention and passed six other proposed resolutions while defeating two others. It will take up others today. Media was not allowed inside the meeting room.

The passed resolutions will later be considered by the general session of delegates.

Ada County delegate Benjamin Chafetz proposed the resolution that would direct the party chairperson to retain legal representation and file in federal court a challenge to the Idaho Secretary of State’s decision not to enforce its rule that restricts who may vote in GOP primary elections.

In November, Secretary of State Phil McGrane said his office could not enforce the rule that would have required voters to affiliate with the party by Dec. 30 in order to participate in the 2024 primary. McGrane in a statement said he may only enforce the law, the Idaho Capital Sun reported.

Idaho code sets the affiliation deadline at 67 days before the primary election.

The state central committee passed the voting rule at the 2023 summer meeting and was meant to prevent “crossover voting” from those who were previously affiliated with other parties.

The resolution passed in committee Thursday states that the chairperson is “directed to immediately and without delay to instruct legal representation to file a lawsuit in federal court to seek any other pertinent remedy stemming from the Idaho Secretary of State’s recalcitrance and dereliction of duty in enforcing party rules regarding deadlines for affiliation with the Party and requirements for participating in the Party primary nominating contest.”

This resolution passed 29-10, according to Latah County delegate Colton Bennett, who is not a member of the committee but sat in on the meeting. Bennett said there was a failed motion to remove the direction to file action in federal court.

OTHER APPROVED RESOLUTIONS

The committee also passed a resolution to direct the chairperson to distribute the amended party platform to every Republican candidate in Idaho, require those candidates to respond with their support to areas of disagreement, and require the party to post the answers on the party’s website. This was proposed by Ada County delegate Branden Durst.

Durst also proposed an approved resolution that would create a special committee to draft a proposed rule to provide a salary to the party chairman positions, which is currently unpaid.

Canyon County delegate Kirsten Lucas and Ada County delegate Priscilla Giddings proposed the creation of a special committee to research alternatives to the primary election for statewide and federal nominations.

A resolution was approved that states Idaho’s “unequivocal support for Israel” and calls on the state congressional delegation to pursue financial and military support.

The committee additionally approved a resolution affirming that only U.S. citizens may vote.

FAILED RESOLUTIONS

The committee rejected two proposals: One would have required all party debates, forums and meetings be open to the public and all officers. Bennett said his impression of the opposition was related to how it was written.

Elaine Price, a delegate from Kootenai County and member of the committee, said she opposed it because the rule as written was “too broad.”

Price also opposed a proposal that would have created a three-member “legislative analysis committee” to analyze bills according to the Idaho GOP platform and make recommendations to lawmakers.

Price has served one term in the Legislature and recently won her contest in the most recent primary. She spoke against the proposed resolution.

“It’s my responsibility as a legislator to read the bills,” Price said. “I was elected as a Republican, so I should be adhering to the Republican platform.”

She said she appreciated the concept, but thought the issue was more complicated than the resolution allowed for.

There are several more proposed resolutions left to be taken up when the committee meets again today at 9 a.m.

Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at lguido@idahopress.com and can be found on X @EyeOnBoiseGuido.