MY TURN: Rating and vetting the sample ballot

Kootenai County voters will receive sample ballots from the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC) over the next month in anticipation of the Nov. 5 election.  

There’s no denying how effective these sample ballots have been for a long time. These cards help so-called “rated and vetted” candidates get elected. It’s not an uncommon sight to see dozens of voters walking into their polling places or the county elections office with a KCRCC sample ballot.  

As a newly elected precinct committeeman, I participated in rating and vetting at a special meeting/executive session of the KCRCC on Tuesday, Sept. 10, to make endorsements for the soon-to-be-released sample ballot.  

There is little doubt that the KCRCC’s Rating and Vetting system is controversial. Critics have dubbed it a sham while some conservative voices espouse it as a grassroots political movement that should be embraced across the country.  

I raised an eyebrow when I saw that one candidate’s campaign literature had been distributed to every member of the GOP Central Committee with a proud KCRCC endorsement logo before we voted on their candidacy.   

Either someone inadvertently jumped the gun, or was the fix in?   

When this was questioned and when I suggested the flyer be removed from the room because this was inappropriate and unfair to the other candidates, resounding silence filled the room. A longtime precinct committeeman sheepishly admitted, with a sorry-not-sorry attitude, to distributing the flyers. My motion to remove the materials failed.  

The entire process was an eye-opener. This meeting lasted over five hours as the committee passionately debated many things, including whether a special guest from Texas should be allowed to attend the meeting, the ground rules for the rating and vetting debate/discussion and whether nonpartisan races and levies should be considered by the committee.  

Discussion on each seat was limited to a mere 12 minutes, but procedural challenges went on for a long time. Here are some of the highlights:  

• A mystery woman from Texas was asked to leave because the KCRCC's bylaws don’t allow the public to attend executive sessions.  

• Nonpartisan candidates for the North Idaho College board of trustees received endorsements despite a spirited debate about whether a political party committee such as the KCRCC should endorse in nonpartisan races.  

• School levies were left off the sample ballot, opting for the will of the people in the local districts rather than party influence. 

• Magistrates were left off the sample ballot.  

• Fire levies received endorsements for the sample ballot because these races were too important to remain silent.  

• All Republican Primary winners were endorsed and will be on the sample ballot. There was a brief challenge by a handful of hardline KCRCC members to not endorse Sheriff Bob Norris, but that effort quickly failed.    

Why did it take five hours? About 30 new precinct committeemen are challenging the establishment and the status quo. For example, there are no special meeting rules for conducting an executive session of the KCRCC in the bylaws. Instead, the special rules, which reportedly have been developed over many years, were presented to the committee with the expectation that we would rubber stamp them and get busy rating and vetting candidates. 

We didn’t.   

The North Idaho Republican contingent rigorously opposed vague and inconsistent rules. Philosophically, many believed the KCRCC should not weigh in on the nonpartisan North Idaho College board of trustee races. We lost that debate.  

North Idaho Republicans also didn’t believe the KCRCC had the ability or knowledge to accurately comment on magistrate races.  

We won that debate.  

Results of the NIC endorsements are skewed because about a dozen precinct committeemen abstained from voting via secret ballot. Looking at the sample ballot, you might think the endorsed candidates got more support than they did.   

The 12-member Rating and Vetting subcommittee seems to do most of the heavy lifting, including conducting candidate interviews and background checks. The process is cloaked in secrecy.  

Members of the committee are required to sign non-disclosure agreements, which means they can’t even say who they have spoken with. In my opinion, some members of the KCRCC have little reason to be confident that all the information was relayed to the body.  

Five of the 12 members of the rating subcommittee were NOT elected precinct committeemen. I recognized one name — a prominent religious leader in the area who was never elected. Why these people came to be on this subcommittee is not clear.   

Upon receiving the Rating and Vetting subcommittee report, the full committee has a discussion and vote. Yet, even this process can be questioned as incomplete. Reviewing the questionnaire is an exercise in frustration. The majority questions have nothing to do with the actual office that the candidate is seeking. The NIC candidates were asked, “What is the purpose of government?" or “Please tell us about your activity as a Republican. Have you previously voted for candidates of other parties? If yes, explain.” 

Zero questions about understanding the role of a trustee. 

Zero questions about losing accreditation.  

Zero questions about higher education reform.  

Zero questions about budgets and spending.  

I recommend people do their research before they vote. You’re doing yourself and the community a disservice if you blindly follow the sample ballot. The problems at North Idaho College, the County Assessor’s Office and the Community Library Network are prime examples of rated and vetted candidates who won, but have no skill set or temperament to do the job.  

Endorsements from the KCRCC or famous celebrities are deeply flawed.  

Do I care who Taylor Swift endorses for president? No, I do not.    

Seek out information from a wide array of sources and be an active participant in Democracy. Make up your own mind.  

God Bless America! 

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Marc Stewart is the precinct committeeman for the 405th precinct in Coeur d’Alene. He is a conservative father and a longtime resident of North Idaho. He can be reached at marcstewartcda2003@gmail.com.