OPINION: Protect and defend the right to vote

Voting is one of the few times in American society where we are all equal. Each of us has one vote to cast — no matter our race, gender, neighborhood, profession, or wealth. Votes are cast by Idahoans in communities throughout the state. They are also cast by Idahoans serving in the military who are living across the country and throughout the world. All of these voters deserve to have their votes count. 

The principle of “one person, one vote” is central to our American system of government. However, it has not always been that way. It took the 15th Amendment in 1870 to give Black men the right to vote. Idaho led the way as the fourth state to give women the right to vote in 1896, 24 years ahead of the 19th Amendment. For decades, poll taxes and literacy tests were selectively used by white legislators in southern states to obstruct Black voters and embed Jim Crow segregation. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited racial discrimination. While we don’t always live up to the ideals embedded in our Constitution, the good news is that over the last 236 years, we Americans have made great strides toward achieving the promise of “a more perfect Union.” 

Recent efforts by Dorothy Moon and the Idaho Republican Central Committee to further restrict access to the Republican primary ballot, by imposing a one year waiting period for voters who switch parties, echoes voter suppression of the past. Moon claims to defend “one person, one vote” while simultaneously making it harder for folks to access the ballot. Idahoans see through this smokescreen.

The closed primary takes away your right to vote for your favorite candidate. In Idaho we don’t stand by while party bosses dictate who gets to participate and who gets excluded. These are your elections, and it is your taxpayer money funding these elections.

In the 2022 Idaho primary, over 300,000 unaffiliated Independents, representing 30% of registered voters, were blocked from closed primaries and forced to sit on the sidelines. Furthermore, 96% of those races were decided by less than the number of sidelined Independents. 

Our own member, Scott Syme, who served 32 years in the Army, rose to the rank of Colonel, volunteered for two Iraq tours, earned a Bronze Star, and served three terms as a Republican State Representative from District 9, lost his primary by just six votes while 6,523 Independents were blocked from voting in his district. Not only did that primary exclude voters who had an interest in its outcome, but those same voters were obligated to pay for the election in which they could not participate, perhaps the very definition of “taxation without representation."

Veterans for Idaho Voters is a cross-partisan group of military veterans who advocate for fair elections, citizen initiatives, sensible policies and civil politics. We are Republicans, Independents, and Democrats working together — like we did during our service days — to support the Open Primaries Initiative. 

Our group is as diverse as Idaho, but a common thread ties us together — our oath to, “protect and defend the Constitution.” There is no expiration date on this oath. We never “mustered out.” It is a lifetime commitment that binds all veterans long after we put our uniforms away. 

For veterans, protecting and defending the Constitution means protecting and defending the right to vote and the principle of “one person, one vote.” Replacing Idaho’s closed, taxpayer funded primaries with open, non-partisan primaries and top four, instant runoff general elections are how we bring competition back to our elections and ensure that every Idahoan’s voice is heard. 

One thing is clear, the Framers intended to have a system where voters could elect individuals to represent them who understand and reflect the values of their communities. A closed primary system takes that right away from the voters and places it in the hands of party bosses. 

When all voters can choose from all candidates, then we know that the core American ideal of “one person, one vote” is truly being honored. Only then can we confidently look at the election winner as somebody who is chosen by the voters and reflects their values.

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Todd Achilles (Boise), Army veteran; Hannah Ball (Garden City), Army veteran; Paul Cunningham (Boise), Navy veteran; Marv Hagedorn (Eagle), Navy veteran; James Ruchti (Pocatello), Army veteran; Kevin Trainor (Twin Falls), Marine Corps veteran; and Christie Wood (Coeur d’Alene), Air Force veteran.