OPEN PRIMARIES: Makes voting fair again

Thanks go to Mr. Ginorio, who, in his Aug. 25 letter to the editor, made excellent points in favor of Idaho’s Open Primaries Initiative and Ranked Choice Voting, and argues in favor of “one person, one vote.” 

Open Primaries will give Idahoans exactly that, their long overdue freedom to use their vote for candidates they prefer. Currently, the closed Republican primary allows party leaders to vet and support candidates who often hold positions and ideologies deemed contrary to true Republican values. 

Voters not registered as Republican who would select another candidate identified as Republican are locked out of the process and denied their “one person-one vote.” As a result, elections are skewed in favor of extremist candidates. 

Mr. Ginorio warns of the dangers of undesirable candidates making their way onto the ballot. Yet last year, registered Republicans wanting to cast a party vote were forced to choose a candidate for school board known for making antisemitic and misogynistic remarks. Proposition 1 would end this cabal, replacing it with a non-partisan, open primary where voters could select from a list of all candidates, regardless of party affiliation. 

The four top vote-getters would advance to the general election where voters would pick their top candidate and have the choice to rank up to three additional candidates in order of preference. 

An instant run-off process repeats until only two candidates remain. The candidate with the most votes is declared the winner. This fair process honors Idahoans right to “one person-one vote.” 

Yes, political parties exist for a purpose, but their role should not be to exclude or disenfranchise registered voters. True democracies champion full participation. A Yes on Proposition 1 will do just that. 

LAUREN McCROSKEY 

Coeur d’Alene