Future primaries unclear

SANDPOINT - It's not exactly clear how a U.S. District Court ruling prohibiting open primary elections will be enacted in Idaho.

Judge B. Lynn Winmill's ruling will require voters to declare themselves either a Democrat or a Republican when voting in a primary, but it's not clear when or how voters will declare their affiliation in order to vast a ballot.

It's also unclear whether independent voters will be allowed to vote in a primary.

"Right now, it's too early to tell. It really is," said Bonner County Clerk Marie Scott. "It's going to go before the Legislature and they are going to be drafting legislation on how this is going to be handled. So it's anybody's guess."