TWIN FALLS, Idaho — It may be a presidential election but Idaho voters will see a lot on the ballot this Nov. 5 including Proposition One, which would drastically change the future of elections in the Gem State.
- If passed, Prop 1 would do away with Idaho's closed primary elections and create a ranked-choice system for general elections.
- The proposition contains two fundamental changes to Idaho's election system, under one ballot measure.
- If it passes, election offices across the state will have to revamp their voting systems.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
"We're seeing record numbers in terms of early voting all across the state," said Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane.
Idaho voters are eager to cast their ballots for the general election and one of the biggest topics to be decided is Proposition One.
If passed, Prop 1 would do away with Idaho's closed primary elections and create a ranked-choice system for general elections.
"Right now, we have party primaries, the Republicans select their nominees and the Democrats (do the same), it would combine those all into one big primary. Voters would then select their favorite choice, and the top four candidates would advance to the general election," said McGrane.
Voters would rank their preferences, one to four, among those top four candidates in the general election.
"Instead of seeing one oval by each of the candidates' names, you'd see four ovals for each candidate, and you can rank your preference; so, your first choice, your second choice, your third choice, and your fourth choice. It's definitely more of a significant change."
Two fundamental changes to Idaho's election system, under one ballot measure, and many Idahoans are split on the idea.
"I think one of the things I'm seeing across the state is if you look at the advocacy for or against, there is a lot of push for open primaries and no against ranked-choice voting. This is actually all in one, so voters are going to have to make a choice when they get to the ballot of what direction they want to go," said McGrane.
Twin Falls County Democrat Ed Easterling, who is on the ballot for the Senate seat in District 24, is a huge supporter of the measure.
"I'm just really hopeful that the open primaries will pass, it will give everybody a better chance of deciding who’s going to represent them," said Easterling.
If it passes, elections offices across the state will have to revamp their voting systems, which would mean tax dollars going to new programming systems — specifically for the general election.
"The equipment we currently use, it doesn't matter if you're in Camas County or you're in Ada County, isn't capable of doing the ranked-choice voting portion yet," said McGrane. “So, we would be really changing our system to connect all 44 counties onto the same process."
At this point, the state has yet to make a decision on what this state-wide system upgrade would look like or how it will be paid for.
"If Prop 1 passes you will see this as a major topic in the legislative session. So, there are a number of changes and questions that will come up assuming what happens on Nov. 5," said McGrane.
