If you live in Idaho, or even if you are just passing through, it is blatantly obvious that it is a red state. In fact according to Idaho’s Secretary of State, 64.5 percent of Idahoans voted for Republican hopeful Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.
The legislative races yielded similar results, district one Rep. Raul Labrador garnered 63 percent of the vote while his district two counterpart Mike Simpson received 65 percent.
Idaho politics is one-sided, which by itself would not be a problem. The majority of the state should be able to govern the way they see fit– within reason. However, Idaho elections are not entirely reasonable because our current system continues to forget about the third of the state that votes against the grain.
As of 2011, Idaho voters are required to register with a political party in order to take place in that particular parties’ primary election. This change was the result of a 2011 legal battle, which pitted the Idaho Republican Party against Secretary of State Ben Ysursa. Idaho Republicans contested the state did not have the authority to enforce an open primary system.
The court agreed, citing the First Amendment right to association, which in this case also includes the right to exclude. This case opened the door for House Bill 351, which went into effect in July 2011, effectively establishing the closed primary system we see in Idaho today.
Idaho is not the first state to implement a closed primary system. But in an already incredibly polarized state, it may have long lasting implications. In a state where voting for a Democrat is almost always a fruitless effort, the ability to vote in Republican primaries gave the minority opinion an outlet. However small that outlet may have been, it was an important way to help the government represent every Idahoan. Open primaries serve as a way to help prevent more extreme members from being elected, through giving opposition parties a way to vote for more moderate members of the opposite party. This is especially true in Idaho, where politics are skewed and populations are small.
Closed primaries do not make Idaho politics any better, they simply open up another avenue for hastily passed legislation in an increasingly polarized political arena.
It can never be stressed enough that minority opinions must be protected, and closed primaries are a step in the wrong direction. The new system is unnecessary and potentially damaging. In a state as small as Idaho with such an overwhelming majority, republicans can rest assured the balance of power will not be shifting any time soon.
Justin Ackerman
can be reached at