Instead of the usual political doom and gloom, I’d like to start the year off with something tangible we can do to start fixing Idaho’s politics: the Open Primaries Initiative.
In Idaho, as in much of the rest of the country, party primaries have become the only elections that matter. While general elections get most of the media and voter attention, gerrymandering and geographic self-sorting by voters have made general elections frequently noncompetitive, foreordained and meaningless. Rather, who gets to hold power is decided in primary elections that represent only the most engaged sliver (often less than 20 percent) of eligible voters. Closed, party-only, primaries moreover incentivize extremism and punish moderate candidates who seek middle ground to appeal to a broader range of voters. This is why we are perpetually stuck with fringe candidates who fail to represent everyday voters.
The Open Primaries Initiative aims to fix this. As noted in this paper, it “would replace the closed party primary elections in Idaho … with a single primary election that all candidates would run in and all voters would vote in, regardless of party affiliation. Under the ballot initiative, the top four voter-getters from the primary election, regardless of party affiliation, would advance to the general election in November.”
The initiative would also establish a ranked-choice voting system for the general election that would allow voters to rank these four candidates in order of preference instead of supporting only one. When the results are tabulated, the candidate with the fewest top votes would be eliminated and their votes transferred to those voters’ second choices. This process would repeat until only two candidates remain, with the one receiving the most votes being elected. This would allow all voters to participate in primary elections regardless of party affiliation, encourage candidates to appeal to the general electorate rather than party extremists, give general-election voters more than two options, and allow citizens to vote their consciences without fear of throwing their vote away.
Opponents of this initiative claim that ranked-choice voting lets ballots be thrown out, but this is a lie. Every ballot remains a part of the final count until a candidate has been duly elected, and every vote contains equal weight. They also argue that ranked-choice voting is too complex, but all it amounts to is ranking candidates instead of picking just one. Voters in states and locales that have already implemented ranked-choice voting report that it is simple and easy to understand. Moreover, ranked-choice voting is no more prone to errors or fraud than traditional voting, and courts have consistently held that it in no way violates the principle of “one person, one vote.”
While opponents may claim that the Open Primaries Initiative is itself a partisan gambit, it actually has a broad base of support across the political spectrum, including North Idaho Women, Idaho Task Force of Veterans for Political Innovation, the Hope Coalition, Reclaim Idaho, Represent US, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, former Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, and dozens of other former and current officeholders and community leaders. (Visit openprimariesid.org/rop for a complete list.)
To get this initiative on the 2024 ballot, supporters have until May 1 to gather 63,000 valid signatures from registered voters. If you would like to sign the petition or learn more about it, visit Café Artista in Moscow today (Jan. 6) between 1-3 p.m., or come to the Fiske Room at the 1912 Center on Feb. 3 or March 2 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. You can also learn more or sign on Jan.14 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse’s Sunday service, where Reclaim Idaho co-founder, Luke Mayville, will be speaking on “Closed Primaries and the Crisis of Accountability.” Or you can visit Idahoans for Open Primaries (openprimariesid.org) now for more information.
Our electoral system is only legitimate to the extent that it selects candidates who represent the will and interests of all the people. Establishing open primaries will not fix all our political problems, but by reducing extremism and polarization, it will be a big step in the right direction. Please sign the petition for a better future for all Idahoans.
Urie is a lifelong Idahoan and graduate of the University of Idaho. He lives in Moscow with his wife and two children.
