PRIMARIES: Should be closed

One potential pitfall of the open primary system is that it enables party crashing. Party crashing is a form of political sabotage that occurs when members of one political party take part in the primary of the opposing party for the express purpose of supporting the candidate they feel will be easier to defeat in the general election (classroom.synonym.com).

The 2012 presidential primary process resulted in one notable example of “party-crashing.” Democratic activists launched an effort called “Operation Hilarity” that aimed to prolong the Republican primary elections by encouraging Democrats in open primary states to vote for GOP underdog candidate Rick Santorum. In 2008, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh similarly encouraged Republican loyalists to disrupt the Democratic elections in open primary states, a plan he dubbed “Operation Chaos.” Neither political effort had a noticeable impact on either the 2008 or 2012 primary races (classroom.synonym.com).

However, political parties at every level of government choose their nominees through primaries. That’s the most important decision a party can make and an organization’s most important decisions should be made by members of that organization. Joining a political party in the United States is a pretty simple procedure and every registered voter already has the right to vote in general elections regardless of affiliation. Allowing Independents and Republicans to select the Democrats’ next nominees, or some other combination, is a good way to destroy a party and its meaning.

I fully support closed primaries in Idaho and encourage others to do the same.

CLAYTON SAPPINGTON

Rathdrum