COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — Proposition 1 is causing controversy and uncertainty among Idaho voters as it appears on the 2024 ballot proposing to remove primary elections.
A major initiative on the Idaho ballot is , which will replace voter selection or party lines with a top-four primary and require a ranked-choice voting system for general elections.
First, this measure would abolish Idaho’s party primaries. Under current law, political parties nominate candidates through primary elections in which party members vote for a candidate to represent the party in the general election. The initiative creates a system where all candidates participate in a top-four primary, and voters may vote for all candidates. The top four vote-earners for each office would advance to the general election. Candidates could list any affiliation on the ballot but would not represent political parties and need not be associated with the party they name.
Idaho’s current primaries are organized by political party, meaning Democrats and Republicans vote for their candidate within their own party. Proposition 1 would remove the primaries and expand the pool of candidates. Candidates could list any affiliation on the ballot but would not represent a political party or be associated with the party they name. Voters would not have to vote within their registered party but rather whoever they want.
Proposition 1 would use a ranked-choice voting system for general elections. Voters would rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference but would not need to rank every candidate. The votes would then be counted in successive rounds, and the candidates receiving the fewest votes each round would be eliminated. The vote for an eliminated candidate would transfer to the voter’s next highest-ranked active candidate—the candidate with the most votes in the final round would win.
Here is an example scenario of what would happen under Proposition 1 —
An election is held with candidates Alice, Bob, and Carol, all with different political affiliations.
Voters would then rank their preferences:
Voter 1: 1) Alice, 2) BobVoter 2: 1) Bob, 2) CarolVoter 3: 1) Carol, 2) AliceVoter 4: 1) Alice, 2) Carol
The votes are counted in the first round (Alice: 3 votes, Bob: 1 vote, Carol: 1 vote). Since Bob and Carol received the fewest votes, they were eliminated. In the second round, the votes from the eliminated candidates are transferred. Voter 2’s vote goes to Carol, but since she is eliminated, it goes to Alice. After completing the second round, Alice has four votes, and Carol has two votes, making Alice the winner of the pretend election.
While this proposed initiative is not actively connected to a political party, the Idaho GOP has expressed its concerns with Proposition 1. According to their website, the initiative would allow dozens of candidates to be on an equal level with the top four candidates. The Idaho GOP also said that it would enable a politician to claim they are Republican, even if their beliefs and ideas are associated with the Democratic party.
According to the Idaho GOP, primary elections were meant for each political party to put forward its best candidate; however, because Idaho is generally a deep-red state, Democratic candidates often lose to their Republican opponents.
“Rather than promoting candidates that could win in the general election, Democrats began requesting Republican primary election ballots so they could vote for the most Democrat-leaning Republican candidate,” said Idaho GOP on their website.
According to “Yes for Open Primaries,” a website used to promote Proposition 1, the initiative would focus on people and not parties.
“Proposition 1 will give Idahoans the freedom to vote in all elections without having to align with a political party,” said the organized community. “By restoring Idaho’s tradition of Open Primaries, Prop 1 will give the power back to people, not political party elites, so we can elect leaders who focus on solving real problems—not distractions and controversies that turn us against each other.”
Former Republican Idaho Governor Butch Otter has also endorsed Prop. 1, saying it will benefit independent voters and broaden access to the democratic process.
“The right to vote is one of the most precious rights that Americans have. Every registered voter should have the right to weigh in on choosing our leaders. Independents, including a lot of military veterans, have been excluded from having their say because of the closed GOP primary,” Otter said.
To learn more about Proposition 1, visit Initiatives & Amendments | VoteIdaho.Gov.
