OPINION: They’ve sold out your vote

Dorothy Moon, chair of the Idaho State Republican Party (IDGOP), cares much more about the national spotlight than she does about the votes of Idaho’s registered Republicans. She is excited to change our primary voting system to an early caucus which she thinks might attract visits from presidential candidates. Dorothy wants national media attention on her leadership of the IDGOP and does not seem to care about Idaho’s Republican voter turnout.

It is well-known that a caucus typically results in lower voter participation and offers less secure systems. Caucuses are held on one day only, at very specific, very limited times and places, not your usual voting location. The caucus system also does not use regular ballots or our usual secure counting procedures. And there are no absentee ballots possible. Any voter who cannot attend the caucus due to work, travel, illness, family obligations, etc., is just out of luck. 

Kootenai County’s Republican voter turnout for last Saturday’s caucus was less than 10%. That is embarrassing. In the 2020 presidential primary, which was not a caucus, nearly 60% of registered Republicans voted.

How did we even get a caucus system for this year’s presidential primary in Idaho? Well, Dorothy manipulated the legislature. Here’s how it happened: 

Last year there was a bill to consolidate elections by taking all March elections, including the presidential primary every four years, and moving them to May, which is when the primaries are usually held. Voter turnout in the May primaries is strong. The bill passed the House and Senate easily and the governor signed it. 

But a mistake in the technical language of the bill was discovered. The error was caught and a “trailer bill” was quickly introduced to fix the mistake. The trailer bill passed the Senate easily and was sent to the House State Affairs committee.

Dorothy Moon, chair of the IDGOP, was the first person to testify on the trailer bill in the House State Affairs committee. She spoke aggressively against the bill, even though the legislature and the governor were already on record supporting it. 

I watched the archived video of that meeting. It was very interesting. Dorothy’s reason for opposing the May election date was that an earlier date would attract the national spotlight and news media. More attention for Dorothy. She didn’t mention any concern about voter turnout.

Dorothy’s testimony was followed by three Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) officials, who all pushed Dorothy’s idea. None of them seemed to care about voter turnout either.

When the public comments were done, Chairman Brent Crane gave his committee only 4 seconds (I counted as I watched the video), then he pounded his gavel and declared “the bill dies for lack of a motion.” But one second later, a voice can be heard from the committee, “Mr. Chairman”…Brent looked, then said, “Too late, I have made my decision.” 

I have run numerous committee hearings as a vice chair, and will tell you this quick gavel was very unusual. The chairman is supposed to make sure his committee members have time to speak, whether as a motion or a comment. But without any discussion or vote, the committee killed a bill that the whole legislature and the governor wanted because it would improve voter turnout and accessibility.

The intimidation of the legislature by our current IDGOP leadership and IFF is real. The caucus system gives them more control and power. They will set their own rules and procedures. Last Saturday, the caucus “ballot boxes” were plastic Costco storage tubs with a slot cut in the top. I also heard that one caucus location used a laundry basket as their ballot box. When I asked questions on social media about the security of the ballots and poll books (with your personal information) being transported to Boise, the KCRCC leaders attacked and ridiculed me.

I have studied election security for years, sponsoring more than 15 bills in the legislature to improve our elections in Idaho. Please understand that secure elections are the foundation of all of our freedoms. Regular primaries are conducted by county elections officials and are safely governed by the laws of Idaho. That is what we want.

The current IDGOP leaders and IFF don’t care about your vote because they have the voters they want and won’t worry if you don’t show up. One of their followers wrote on social media: “We should make it difficult to vote…making it more difficult keeps out the riff raff.”

I wonder if this “genius” realizes those he labels as “riff raff” might include our active military, hospital staff, grocery store workers, elderly folks with mobility issues, first responders on duty, and many, many more who are unable to participate in a caucus system to make their vote count. That’s probably why more than 90% of Kootenai County’s registered Republican voters did not, or could not, vote in the caucus. We must change our GOP leadership and do a better job of securing our elections and protecting voting rights for all.

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Mary Souza, a Coeur d'Alene Republican, represented District 4 in the Idaho Senate for eight years from 2014 to 2022.

Feedback: MarySouzaUnfiltered@gmail.com