MY TURN: We thought closing Idaho's primaries was a good idea. We were wrong
Marv Hagedorn
Since 2012, when the closed primary system was introduced, nearly 300,000 independent voters in Idaho have been blocked from participating in our most important elections unless they join a political party. This means that taxpayers are funding elections that exclude a large portion of the population. It’s wrong to force anyone to pick a party just to have the chance to vote in publicly funded elections.
As a veteran, I take this personally. Idaho is home to 160,000 military veterans, one of the highest populations, per capita, in the country. About half of those veterans prefer to be independent. We served this country to protect freedoms — one of the most important being the right to vote. But many veterans are now sidelined from primary elections simply because they don’t want to join a political party. That’s not the America we fought for.
Become a Subscriber!
You have read all of your free articles this month. Select a plan below to start your subscription today.
Already a subscriber? Login
