“The Idaho Supreme Court confirmed that Prop 1 is not about ‘Open Primaries’”
Prop 1 continues to promote the idea that a “Yes” vote will restore open primaries in Idaho. A recent mailer even claimed, “Voters can restore Idaho’s voting traditions with Proposition 1: Open Primaries.” However, this is misleading.
The Idaho Supreme Court, in its August 13, 2024, opinion—celebrated by Prop 1’s supporters—made it clear that Prop 1’s use of the term “Open Primaries” is incorrect. According to the Court: “Idaho previously had a true ‘open primary’ system—i.e., a system in which a voter could vote in the primary election without prior registration as a member of a political party.”
The Court further stated, “We concluded that an ‘open primary’ means something significantly different from what the Initiative proposes.” In other words, the new voting system proposed by Prop 1 does not resemble Idaho’s previous open primary system.
The proponents’ recent mailer also claimed that over 275,000 independent voters are disenfranchised, meaning they are not allowed to vote in the primary. This claim ignores the fact that any independent voter can request a Republican ballot at the polls and affiliate with the party on Election Day. They can
even unaffiliate the next day or at any time after voting. In short, they are free to participate in the primary by affiliating with a party for that day. If they choose not to, it’s by their own choice. Currently, 86% of registered voters are eligible to vote in the Republican primary, while the other 14% are affiliated with other parties and can vote in their respective primaries. Therefore, 100% of voters are eligible to participate in Idaho's primary system.
Every yard sign promoting Prop 1 claims it’s about “Open Primaries,” but that’s not accurate. Prop 1 creates a “jungle primary” system and introduces ranked-choice voting to replace our traditional general elections. Nothing is being restored. Instead, primaries are being radicalized, and the “one person, one vote” principle is compromised. With ranked-choice voting, if no candidate receives over 50% of the vote, voters for the last-place candidate get to vote again in the next round—and potentially a third time, depending on how many rounds are required. Prop 1 proponents avoid mentioning ranked-choice voting, also known as “Instant Runoff Voting,” in their advertising. Why hide this? They claim to restore traditions, but in reality, they are pushing for a
radical overhaul of how Idahoans have voted for years. There is nothing traditional about Prop 1.
Don’t be misled by false claims and incomplete information. Vote NO on Prop 1. If Reclaim Idaho, with their out-of-state funding, genuinely wanted to restore open primaries, they could have proposed a simple initiative. Instead, they introduced a jungle primary and the poison pill of ranked-choice voting. If
they had proposed a genuine open primary system, as described by the Idaho Supreme Court, I would have supported it.
I urge you to vote NO, not based on ideology, but because it’s consistent with Idaho’s values. I stood alongside all the Republican legislators in District 25, and those in rural District 24, who voted to make ranked-choice voting illegal in Idaho. Let’s keep Idaho’s elections fair and simple. Vote No on Prop 1.
Representative Lance Clow, District 25 A
2170 Bitterroot Drive
Twin Falls, ID 83301
