OPINION: Here’s one thing Idaho voters can agree on

If the election post-mortem points to one glaring problem in Idaho, it is the lack of a comprehensive voter’s guide.

All that Gem State voters get in the mail now is a pamphlet each general election and it’s limited to details about the initiatives and constitutional amendments up for a vote.

That falls far short of the wealth of material voters in Washington — as well as Alaska, Arizona, California, Oregon and Utah — receive in a printed and/or online version.

Take Washington, for example.

Before voters in the Evergreen State cast a ballot, they have access to almost 100 pages of information that includes:

The ins and outs of voting, such as deadlines for registration and when ballots are mailed to voters. The process of voting by mail is explained. An online source for getting election results is made available.

How the system works. For instance, there are links to political parties as well as to federal and state agencies that watchdog campaign contributions.

Included are such details as what qualifications are required to hold federal, state and local office — and what the people who hold those jobs are obligated to do.

The Electoral College is explained as “a process, not a place,” in which Washington’s 12 electoral votes go to the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote.

Also outlined are the contours of congressional and legislative districts and counties.

There are explanations about how ballot initiatives and referendums function. Substantial pro and con arguments are presented — along with who supports or opposes each ballot measure. Also included is a fiscal impact statement.

Biographies and statements are presented from each candidate — including third parties and independents — for every elected position, from president and vice president to Congress, statewide office, Legislature, judicial and county office.

Guides are tailored to accommodate local congressional, legislative and county contests.

Idaho could use such specific, objective and complete information.

Not everyone has access to news media to learn about candidates.

There’s a window of interest — centered around elections — when voters are more receptive to this background.

Some candidates refuse to talk to the media. But a statewide voter guide sent to every household has such a great reach that candidates are virtually compelled to participate.

Besides, there’s no shortage of misinformation — either through social media or partisan “special edition” publications masquerading as newspapers.

Whether it’s because so many people are new to Idaho and don’t have enough institutional knowledge about its politics — or simply moved here from states where voter guides are ubiquitous — this is an idea whose time as come.

When the Boise State University Public Policy Survey asked them, 78% favored a state-produced guide. Only 10% opposed it.

Nez Perce County Clerk Patty O. Week’s experiment with a local voter’s guide reached the same result. Among the 5,000 people who voted early and interacted with Weeks, most expressed support for her project. Some brought the guide with them to the polls. Presumably those who cast an absentee ballot relied on the guides in the comfort of their homes.

And the question frequently asked by Idahoans familiar with what their neighbors across the state line receive was: Why doesn’t the Gem State follow suit?

It’s not for lack of trying.

For two consecutive years, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane has sought the Legislature’s blessing to proceed.

Idaho already spends money preparing its pamphlet and then mailing out to each household. Adding more pages is only marginally more expensive.

To add a second voter’s guide — this one to help people navigate the spring primary election — might require an additional $400,000. Not only is that a rounding error in Idaho’s multibillion dollar budget, but it just might encourage greater turnout in an election that often decides who holds office.

Twice, McGrane’s proposal has cleared the state Senate. Earlier this year, it passed by a 22-13 vote — although the people representing north central Idaho opposed it.

But each time, one man has stood in the way of this progress — House State Affairs Committee Chairperson Brent Crane, R-Nampa. As committee chairperson, Crane has refused to give McGrane’s proposal a hearing.

Expect McGrane to make a third attempt when lawmakers convene in January.

When he does, keep your eyes on Crane. — M.T.