MY TURN: The facts about Prop 1
There’s a lot of misinformation circulating about the Open Primaries proposition (Prop 1) that will be on the ballot in November. Most of the accusations, including those printed in opinion letters in the Coeur d’Alene Press, are made without any evidence or facts to back them up. So, let’s look at the facts.
Some people fear that if the Open Primaries proposition passes, it will turn Idaho blue. In Alaska, however, where top-four primaries have already been implemented, the voters selected the same number of Republican and Democratic candidates as prior to its implementation.
Some have stated that the current partisan primaries in Idaho are open to every voter, but that’s ONLY IF they associate with one of the two major parties. However, Idahoans for Open Primaries believe that every voter should be able to vote in our primary elections for any candidate regardless of party affiliation.
In the current system, many are forced to register with a party that doesn’t align with their beliefs in order to have a say in who is elected since Kootenai County has only elected Republicans in partisan races for decades. In fact, some prominent local Republicans have raised issue with voters registered as Republicans who don’t align with the party. They call us RINOS — Republicans in Name Only. And if I register as a Republican to vote for one candidate in a primary election, I’m then left with no other option than to vote for all Republican candidates. Why can’t I vote for a Republican for commissioner and a Democrat for sheriff?
In Kootenai County, 24% of registered voters are registered as Unaffiliated. All of those voters are excluded from voting in our primary elections. Since 2000, our average turnout for primary elections is only 27% of registered voters. Sixty-four percent of Kootenai County voters are currently registered as Republicans. Since the prevailing party in our general elections is always Republican, that means that whoever wins the primary on the Republican ticket generally sails through the general election. Sixty-four percent of 27% is only 18%. That means that, on average, less than 20% of registered voters are choosing our elected officials.
On the flip side, under the system proposed by Prop 1, 100% of registered voters would be able to participate in our primary elections. Even if only 27% of registered voters turn out, I’d rather have 27% of voters selecting our elected officials than only 18%. And with Prop 1 would come a top-four primary system, which would allow the top four candidates to advance to the general election, which will allow for more choice for voters in the elections with the largest turnout. In states where the top-four primary system has already been implemented, voter turnout has actually increased. Since 2002, the average voter turnout in general elections in Kootenai County has averaged 54%. Why shouldn’t we have 54% of voters selecting our elected officials, rather than 18% in our current closed primary system?
Some fear ranked choice voting, also known as instant runoff elections. They see it as confusing and complicated. However, it’s really quite simple. It would give voters more options and more say in who fills our elected positions. In instant runoff elections, every voter would vote for their first, second, third and fourth choice. If your first choice gets knocked out, your vote would go to your second choice. If your second choice gets knocked out, your vote would go to your third choice. And if your third choice gets knocked out, your vote would go to your fourth choice. In the end, only one of your votes would count. If at any time, one of the candidates gets more than 50% of the vote, that candidate automatically wins and there is no runoff. This system would save the state time and money by eliminating the need to hold separate runoff elections in the case of a tie.
Prop 1 would allow any voter to vote for any candidate in our primary elections and would give the voters more choice in our general elections. The proposed system would take the power away from special interest groups and put it back in the hands of the voters, where it belongs. It would make sure those elected have support from a large percentage of the voters, rather than just a narrow faction. Those opposing Prop 1 want to keep the power away from the voters. Maybe we should be asking why.
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Laura Tenneson is a Coeur d’Alene resident.