State roundup: Prop 1 fails to impress Idaho voters

A ballot measure that would have overhauled Idaho’s election system was soundly rejected by voters during Tuesday’s election.

Proposition 1, which aimed to replace Idaho's closed primary system with a "top-four" primary format, garnered only 30.7% support from the 644,152 votes counted as of 11 p.m. Tuesday. The measure would have allowed the four candidates receiving the most votes, regardless of party affiliation, to advance to a ranked-choice general election.

Luke Mayville, spokesperson for Idahoans for Open Primaries, said that despite the setback, supporters were celebrating the grassroots effort.

“We are full of pride that we dared to take on the biggest structural problem facing Idaho: the closed primaries,” he said. “It’s never easy to reform a broken system. But one thing is clear to us after talking with hundreds of thousands of voters: Even if Idahoans didn’t support our specific proposal, the vast majority believe the closed primary system is broken. It’s only a matter of time before Idahoans demand reform.”

Of the counties that had reported in, only Latah County voted in favor of the measure. 

Constitutional amendment

In a separate vote, Idahoans strongly endorsed a constitutional amendment requiring U.S. citizenship to vote. The measure passed with 387,922 votes in favor out of 599,726 total votes cast. 

Congressional results 

In Idaho's 1st Congressional District, incumbent Rep. Russ Fulcher secured his fourth term with a commanding 71.4% of the vote. The Republican congressman performed particularly well in Kootenai County, where he captured 72% of ballots against Democrat challenger Kaylee Peterson. 

Meanwhile, veteran Rep. Mike Simpson won his 14th term representing Idaho's 2nd Congressional District, securing 61.2% of the vote. 

Presidential election 

Donald Trump maintained Idaho's strong Republican voting tradition, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris with 66.4% of the statewide vote. Trump's margin was even more pronounced in Kootenai County, where he received 71.6% of ballots cast.