Less than 17 percent of Ada County registered voters cast a ballot in Tuesday’s Idaho primary election – less than 17 percent in the state’s most populous county, home to its capital, Boise. Statewide, the turnout was an estimated 23 percent of registered voters, the lowest going back at least as far as 1980, when the ballot casting began a three-decade descent from the 41.3 percent who voted in the primaries that year. But then, former California Gov. Ronald Reagan was on the ballot for the GOP presidential nomination. Reagan, whose 11th Commandment was “Republicans should not criticize other Republicans,” might have been startled by an election in which Reaganites criticized Reaganites in Kootenai County. And saddened by a dismal voter turnout caused in large part by a Republican Party so jealous of its purity that party officials would allow only those willing to declare their allegiance before the world to receive the sacred – but not secret – GOP ballot/Spokesman-Review. More here.

Question:The Spokesman-Review editorial goes on to recommend that Idaho possibly switch to a system in which the top two vote-getters move on to the general election. Washington has the top-two system. What do you think?