Prop 1 rejected by Idaho voters

Idaho’s election system likely will not change, after voters largely rejected Prop 1.

By press time Tuesday, 419,211 ballots statewide were reported cast against, or 69.3%, with 185,945 in favor, preliminary results show.

The ballot measure, created and supported by the group Idahoans for Open Primaries, would have meant anyone regardless of party affiliation could vote in Idaho primaries in a new top-four contest. It would’ve also implemented ranked-choice voting in the general election.

“I think if you look at at the number of legislators that have come out and said, ‘this is bad for Idaho,’ I think that’s why it’s trending down,” House Speaker Mike Moyle said Tuesday night, shortly after 10 p.m.

Supporters for the initiative conceded at about 11:30 p.m.

“We are full of pride that we dared to take on the biggest structural problem facing Idaho: the closed primaries,” Luke Mayville, Idahoans for Open Primaries spokesperson, said in a news release. “It’s never easy to reform a broken system. But one thing is clear to us after talking with hundreds of thousands of voters: Even if Idahoans didn’t support our specific proposal, the vast majority believe the closed primary system is broken. It’s only a matter of time before Idahoans demand reform.”

The initiative faced strong pushback from members of the Idaho GOP, including billboards, signs and ads in opposition. Its supporters also gathered signatures in support from every single county and far surpassed the threshold required. The PAC to support it garnered more than $4.8 million in contributions, much of which came from out-of-state groups that support the election system.

At the Idaho GOP Election Night Watch party in Meridian, Republican Chairwoman Dorothy Moon thanked a number of people for their work opposing Prop 1.

The supporters of the election system argued that it would bring in more voter participation than Idaho’s closed party primary races and ensure that winners had the majority of voters — not just a plurality in crowded races.

Opponents argued it was confusing and expensive. Secretary of State Phil McGrane had sent a letter to legislative leaders in July saying he estimated it could cost between $25 million and $40 million to purchase new voting equipment that could handle ranked-choice voting tabulation. Supporters told the Idaho Press that the estimation didn’t account for a lower-cost software used by other states that McGrane could certify for use in Idaho if he chose to.

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador was also opposed to it and was involved in multiple court battles with supporters over it. The first was brought last July by Idahoans for Open Primaries challenging the ballot titles that Labrador’s office had written for the initiative. The Idaho Supreme court sided with the initiative’s supporters and ordered Labrador to write new titles with more commonly used language.

After supporters turned in the required signatures to earn a place on the November ballot, Labrador sued to block it, arguing that the supporters had misled voters in the signature-gathering process. A judge later dismissed Labrador’s challenge, saying he did not provide adequate proof that at least 12,000 people were misled while signing into the initiative.

Labrador said Tuesday night that he thinks his lawsuit against the measure had an impact on the result. He also said the early results against the initiative were “sending a strong message that Idaho is not for sale to out-of-state interests.”

A voter initiative has not passed in Idaho since 2018 when Medicaid expansion was approved. That initiative was run and supported by Reclaim Idaho, and many of that group’s leaders formed Idahoans for Open Primaries.

Moon targeted Reclaim Idaho in remarks made at the Watch Party regarding Prop 1.

“We’re not ever going to let Reclaim Idaho bring another initiative forward,” Moon said, as the crowd cheered in response.

Supporters of the initiative indicated future efforts. Former House Speaker Bruce Newcomb said in the statement, “This campaign has shone a light on the greatest problem in our state—our closed primary system—and we will continue to work toward a solution that reflects the will of Idahoans.”

Also on the ballot was a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution, adding words to explicitly state that people who aren’t U.S. citizens may not vote in Idaho.

Voters supported the measure with 387,922 votes cast in favor, or 64.7%, by midnight.

It is illegal for non-citizens to vote in the state, but the amendment would add language to dictate this.

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 Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido.