Court upholds Idaho voter ID law
A federal district judge has upheld an Idaho law that eliminates student identification as a valid form of voter ID.
Federal judge Amanda Brailsford sided with Secretary of State Phil McGrane, who argued that there are plenty of types of federal and state ID that people can use to register to vote, and that dropping student ID. makes registration a uniform process in all 44 Idaho counties.
The law was challenged by two groups, March for Our Lives Idaho and Babe Vote. Both groups focus on registering younger voters. They contended the rule made it harder to register college students.
Judge Brailsford did not agree, ruling that the Idaho law was constitutional and reasonable. She did not think the requirement to get a free state ID card was illegally burdensome. An earlier suit in state court was dismissed on similar grounds this spring.
McGrane cheered the federal ruling, saying in a statement, “I’m pleased by the court's decision. I’m looking forward to continuing our voter registration efforts as we get closer to the November General Election.”
Eligible voters can get free state ID cards from a local motor vehicle office. The Idaho Department of Transportation has more information about requirements to get the free cards.
WA public lands candidates meet for Spokane debate
Despite their different party labels, the two candidates for Washington’s commissioner of public lands agreed on a variety of issues during a debate Wednesday in Spokane.
Republican Jaime Herrera-Beutler and Democrat Dave Upthegrove agreed the state has improved at protecting state-owned forests in eastern Washington from huge wildfires.
But Herrera-Beutler said biological indicators show state lands are struggling in many areas.
“We’ve seen increases in numbers of species that are listed. We’ve seen increases of pollution. We’ve seen decreases in healthy forests and all of the coincides with the desire to pull aside and set aside land and walk away,” the former U.S. Representative said. “I’m simply saying we use the best and brightest technology and innovation that we have to sustainably manage those lands for the future of our state.”
Herrera-Beutler criticized Upthegrove for his plan to delay harvests on about 10-percent of state timberland, so-called “legacy forests.”
Upthegrove said he doesn’t propose lowering how much timber is harvested on state land, but wants to adjust where some of the cutting would be done.
He said, if elected, he would work to ensure a balanced approach to managing state lands.
“As your next lands commissioner, I will work together with environmentalists and businesses, local governments, the federal government, tribes and all the people of the state of Washington to chart a path forward that protects our clean air, clean water and habitat, improves wildfire prevention and the response and expands recreational opportunities on our state lands,” Upthegrove said.
The debate took place at a policy summit sponsored by the Association of Washington Business and Greater Spokane. The groups hosted three other debates Wednesday: one each for state school superintendent, attorney general and governor.
State school superintendent candidates parley over funding, student success, DEI
As part of the same debate series, Washington state schools chief Chris Reykdal and his challenger, western Washington school board member David Olson, sparred over student performance and department spending under Reykdal’s leadership.
“Less than 50 percent of the kids can read and write at grade level. Our achievement gap is widening and absentee rates have doubled, all while state spending has increased for education,” he said.
Reykdal said the metrics he looks at paint a different picture.
“It's actually 70 percent of our students who are at grade level. Fifty percent by 10th grade are already taking college level coursework. A third of our middle schoolers taking high school math, two-thirds of our graduates already with college transcripts, record high grad rates, even with more math, science, English language arts being taken,” he said.
In one exchange, Reykdal challenged Olson’s views on diversity, equity and inclusion measures. In April, at the state Republican Party convention, Olson boasted about how his district opposed critical race theory and DEI initiatives.
“You stood right in this town this last spring [and] called DEI work horrible, awful stuff. You were proud to have banned it. Why should students at all believe that you are a champion of equal opportunity with the words?”
Olson replied that he “could have said some things better that day.”
“I would just tell anyone in this room to come to my school district and look at all the positive things that we are doing in our school district to advance (sic) harassment, intimidation and bullying,” Olson said. “We make sure every child in our school is feels welcome and supported and gets all the resources and opportunities they need to get a quality education.”
But there were some areas where the candidates acknowledged agreement: that schools can wisely use artificial intelligence, districts should limit students’ use of mobile devices in class, the state’s current education funding model needs serious work, and more money is needed for special education and school buses.
Reykdal and Olson will meet again for their next debate September 26 in Edmonds.
State execution chamber closes for good
The execution chamber at the Washington state penitentiary in Walla Walla was officially closed Wednesday.
The official effort to end capital punishment in Washington started with a moratorium issued by Governor Jay Inslee a decade ago.
In 2018, state supreme court justices found Washington's statute unconstitutional due to its arbitrary and biased application. The state legislature formally repealed it last year.
At the closing ceremony, the governor acknowledged the deep belief from some victims’ families who disagreed with this decision.
“I represent almost eight million people and you might find eight million permutations about how they feel about the righteousness or the unrighteousness of the death penalty," Inslee said. "But I truly believe that eight million people today should be united in saying that we will not allow an unequal administration of a government executing its citizens."
78 men have died by execution in Washington since 1904. The majority were hanged.
The room will stay intact for historical purposes.
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Reporting was contributed by Brandon Hollingsworth, Doug Nadvornick and Patricia Murphy.