SB 1108, legislation to make it tougher to qualify an initiative or referendum measure for the Idaho ballot, has passed the Senate on a 25-10 vote. The bill, pushed by the Idaho Farm Bureau, would require signatures from 6 percent of the voters in each of 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts, rather than just 6 percent statewide, as current law requires. You can read my full story here at spokesman.com.

Sen. Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa, the bill’s lead sponsor, said, “I do think we should look at something that is inclusive of people all across the state.” He noted that people are collecting signatures now for a marijuana initiative, and the Farm Bureau is worried about possible animal rights initiatives. “These are all issues that would affect every community in the state,” McKenzie told the Senate. He also said he fears that Idaho could go the way of California, with numerous ballot measures sponsored by a wealthy few.

Sen. Les Bock, D-Boise, noted that California allows voters to amend their state Constitution by initiative – something Idaho doesn’t allow. “We need to be comparing apples to apples,” Bock said. “I can tell you the comparison to California is not apt.”

Senate Minority Leader Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, argued that the bill actually limits the voice of rural communities, rather than protecting it. That’s because there are 16 of Idaho’s legislative districts that are within the Boise-Nampa area. “All of these districts are easily accessible from the Treasure Valley, with a high population density,” she said. A ballot measure that’s support by that area would need just two other legislative districts’ support to make the ballot. But a measure backed by people in, for example, rural Bear Lake County, wouldn’t have the same advantage. “Bear Lake organizers will have to reach out to 17 other legislative districts outside of their area,” she said. Even with the support of 30 percent of voters in eastern Idaho, their measure still wouldn’t qualify for the ballot.

Sen. Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, spoke in favor of the bill, noting that Ada County has the highest population in the state. “This is one small effort to try to get those signature-bearers to go out and include some of the rest of us,” he said. “This allows rural Idaho to participate in this process.”

McKenzie said, "There’s a perception that this relates to Props 1, 2 and 3," the historic referendum measures through which Idaho voters in November overturned the "Students Come First" school reform laws, the first time voters have overturned a legislatively passed law since the 1930s. "This doesn’t have anything to do with that," McKenzie said. "This doesn’t go back in time… If you had this in place, it wouldn’t have changed that at all." He noted that 12 other states have geographic distribution requirements of some type for ballot measure signatures.