Some Idaho voters avoid closed primary
|
May 17, 2012
Idaho: On Tuesday, voters in the Gem State were asked to identify their party affiliation before receiving a Republican primary ballot, leading some to avoid the election altogether. The closed primary, which was championed by the Idaho Republican Party in a court case before the United States District Court for the District of Idaho, lead to a record-making low turnout of 23% of voter participation. [1] [2]
The open primary system had been in affect for 38 years before declared unconstitutional last year. It was challenged because some members of the Republican Party believed that Democrats and Independents were purposely voting for Republican candidates in primaries in order to influence the outcome of elections. After the ruling in March 2011, Chairman Norm Semanko said, "This decision will allow the Idaho Republican Party to decide how to conduct its primary elections. We only ask, and have a right to expect, that members of the Democrat Party or other political parties will not choose our candidates for us. [2]
Tuesday's primary was the first time the new system was used. One unintended consequence was that some in professions requiring members to remain nonpartisan decided to not vote at all. This affected some judges, even though the Idaho Judicial Council expressly allowed its judges to participate. [3]
Judge Randy Smith, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, said, "I do not believe that I should declare what I am. I’m not supposed to be partisan. So I’m not voting. I’ve never not voted. It’s going to be sad." [3]
Because of the low turnout and other consequences of the closed primary, Republican leaders are discussing whether to revert to the old system in the future. [1]
Check out Judgepedia's Election Central for details!
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Idaho Statesman, "Record-low turnout could prompt Idaho GOP to revisit closed primary, Ysursa says," May 16, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 First Amendment Center, "Federal court sides with Idaho GOP in open-primary fight," March 3, 2011
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Idaho Statesman, "Some Idahoans feel they can't vote in Tuesday's primary election," May 15, 2012
| This article was written by Katy Farrell, the Editor of Judgepedia. She can be reached at kfarrell@judgepedia.org. |
| ||||||||||
