Idaho voters could see dueling ballot measures about ranked choice voting when they go to the polls in November.
Advocates for an open political primary in Idaho are gathering signatures for a November initiative. Their proposal would also switch the Gem State to a ranked choice voting system. Instead of picking one candidate, voters would rank the candidates in each race. Proponents say the system ensures that no candidate can win without getting a majority of the votes.
Rep. Vito Barbieri, R-Coeur d'Alene, is among those who believe that change would be too much for Idaho. He says the state constitution should say that the candidate who collects the most votes wins, majority or not. He says it’s important to make that clear in the state’s founding document.
“This is an opportunity to say that this is not a democracy. This is a republic. And with respect to republic, we are looking at 2,500 years of history where this type of election, the one we have been holding in the United States since the inception, is cemented into Western culture," he said.
Three people testified against Barbieri's proposal at an Idaho House committee hearing on Monday. They included Norma Staaf from Idaho County.
“Changing the state constitution is not something that should be taken lightly and just because we’ve done something in the past, doesn’t mean that it is the only or best way to do it," she said. "Changing the constiitution should be done to give people more, not fewer, rights, freedoms and choices.”
Barbieri’s resolution has been sent to the House floor. It needs two-thirds passage in both chambers, then a simple majority vote in a statewide vote in November.
Sponsors of the ranked choice/open primary initiative are competing for a spot on that same ballot. They have a bit less than two months to submit enough signed petitions.
