Proposition 1: Idaho’s most heated election this year could reshape state voting process

One of the biggest races on the Idaho ballot this election isn’t between two people.

Instead, voters will have the choice to vote “yes” or “no” on Proposition 1, a citizen-led initiative that would fundamentally restructure Idaho elections.

If passed, Proposition 1 would do two things:

First, it would establish a “top-four” primary system where all the candidates appear on a single primary ballot, regardless of party affiliation. The four candidates who earn the most votes in the primary would then advance to the general election ballot.

Second, Proposition 1 would create a ranked-choice (also called a runoff) voting system in the general election, where voters have the option to rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference. If no candidate picks up a majority of first-choice votes, each candidate’s second choice votes would be added to their first choice votes, and the winner of that count would win the general election.

Right now, Idaho’s Republican primary system is closed, meaning voters must register with the state Republican Party in order to cast a vote in any of the party’s primary elections. Democratic and Republican primaries each get their own ballot under the state’s current election system.

The first-place candidate from each partisan primary race then wins a spot on the general election ballot representing their respective party.

The arguments for and against the ballot measure

Supporters of Proposition 1 argue the state’s current primary and general election systems rob voters of their power and instead hand it over to already-powerful political party leaders.

Those against Proposition 1 argue that the current system is just fine because the whole point of a primary system is to let political parties debate and choose among themselves the best candidate to represent them in the general election.

If passed, Proposition 1 wouldn’t be the first time the state of Idaho opted for a ranked-choice system. In 1909, the state Legislature passed a law that required voters to pick their “first and second choice” in primary elections that featured more than two candidates for the same office. A year later, the law was challenged and ultimately defended and upheld by the state Supreme Court.

“The clear intention of the Legislature in enacting said primary election law was to take the matter out of the hands of party committees and conventions, and place it in the hands of the voter,” read the court’s 1910 ruling, Adams v. Lansdon.

Subsequent laws were passed, and Idaho’s voting system reverted back to the closed primary with no ranked-choice system that exists today.

Yet this year, Proposition 1 has brought Idaho’s election system back into the limelight, marking its territory as one of the most hotly-contested and expensive battles of the election cycle. Political action groups that support Proposition 1 have raised nearly $3 million, according to the Idaho Capital Sun. Others have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to stifle the ballot measure’s chances of passing.

The main supporter of Proposition 1 is Idahoans for Open Primaries, a political action group arguing that the state’s 275,000 unaffiliated voters are blocked from participating in the present primary system that their tax dollars bankroll.

“Currently, we’re electing leaders who have really only proven that they have strong support from a small number of voters who participate in closed primary elections,” Reclaim Idaho founder Luke Mayville said in a phone interview. “Those voters tend to be the most hyperpartisan people in the electorate, and their views and interests do not represent the broader community.”

Mayville added that the top-four system would grant voters more choices on the general election ballot.

“Different parties are more likely to make it on the ballot, and independent candidates are more likely to make it onto the ballot,” Mayville said. “The biggest misconception is that Proposition 1 would favor one party or the other. Open primaries and ranked-choice voting don’t benefit a particular party.”

The initiative has garnered a mix of support and backlash from Republicans across Idaho, with more Democrats and independents speaking in support of Proposition 1.

Idaho GOP Chairwoman Dorothy Moon has been outspoken in her opposition to Proposition 1.

“Saying that members of other parties should have a say in the Republican primary is like saying the Washington State Cougars should be allowed to pick Boise State’s opening playbook this weekend,” Moon wrote in a blog post on the state GOP website last month. “It makes no sense!”

State Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, serves as chair of the Bonner County Central Republican Committee. He echoed Moon’s views on the ballot initiative, calling it a “bad idea for Idaho.”

“I think top-four is a useless idea,” Herndon told The Spokesman-Review. “The whole idea behind – the whole definition – of a primary election is it’s defined as the party nomination process. So organized political parties choose their nominees through a primary election. If you are going to eliminate that, then in my opinion, you might as well eliminate the primary election altogether.”

Jack Riggs is a former state legislator and previous lieutenant governor of Idaho. Riggs, who is the cofounder of the North Idaho Republicans, said he supports Proposition 1, noting that he was speaking on behalf of himself and not the North Idaho Republicans.

“Unfortunately, over the last 12 years or so, our primary system has become quite dysfunctional,” Riggs said. “It’s become a way for a small part of the party to really control the outcome. I believe the primary process no longer represents the will of the people at all.”

Potential outcomes

If it passes, a move to ranked-choice voting would cost the state between $25 and $40 million, according to a July letter written by Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane. A lot of that cost would reportedly cover replacing vote tabulation machines in the state.

Those against Proposition 1 say they will push for the state Legislature to repeal the ballot measure if it passes in November.

Those in favor of the ballot measure say they hope lawmakers will listen to the will of the people if it passes and respect the new election system.

In 2020, Alaska voters passed a top-four nonpartisan primary system and ranked-choice general elections – the same system to be decided on by Idaho voters this November.

Alaska’s new voting system was implemented in 2022. This election a measure that would repeal the new system will appear on Alaska ballots.

It’s too soon to tell how the top-four primaries and ranked-choice voting have changed Alaska politics, said Joseph Warren, a political science professor with the University of Alaska – Anchorage. But research indicates it might spark change in a certain type of election.

“I would give it a few election cycles,” Warren said. “It seems like at the state legislative level, there’s more evidence for the system making a difference and perhaps encouraging moderation in the state Legislature, as compared to the Congressional races.”

Idaho’s general election is Nov. 5. Polling locations are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Any voter may request an absentee ballot up until Oct. 25. Absentee ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Voters may also cast their ballot early by visiting an early or in-person absentee voting location between Oct. 21 and Nov. 1.

For more information on Idaho’s general election, visit voteidaho.gov.