For nearly a year, volunteers seeking to change Idaho’s elections blanketed the state to gather signatures from citizens supportive of bringing an end to the closed primaries. The petition also called for a move to a ranked-choice voting system for general elections.
In July, Idaho’s Secretary of State confirmed that a coalition of groups committed to the effort had met the signature threshold for ballot initiatives and qualified to put the question to voters in the General Election this fall. The Open Primaries Initiative has earned the support from a wide spectrum of voters and political organizations but also has garnered its share of opponents who worry the ballot initiative would bring an end to partisan elections and cause too much confusion for voters.
Panelists:
Tom Luna, Partner at Strategos Group & Former Superintendent of Education,
Hyrum Erickson, Attorney at Rigby Andrus & Rigby
Jaclyn Kettler, Associate Professor of Political Science & Director, NEW Leadership Idaho, Boise State University
Moderator:
McKay Cunningham, Graduate Professor and Director of Graduate Programs, College of Idaho