In an editorial re: the looming horse race for the Secretary of State office in the GOPrimary, opinionator Marty Trillhaase of the Lewiston Tribune suggests the state's next chief elections officer should work to increase voter turnout:

When Ronald Reagan ran for president in 1980, nearly 31 percent of Idaho's voting age population participated in the spring primary election. In November of that year, 69 percent of the eligible electors cast a ballot in the general election.Fast forward to 2012: The percentage of voters who cast a ballot in last year's primary election dropped to 16.1 percent. Turnout for the general election also is trending down - to 57.6 percent in 2012's presidential election, but as low as 56 percent in 2000. Part of that is culture. Americans across the country are less engaged in government of self-rule than their forebears. Part of the fall off is by design. By closing their primary to all but registered Republicans, the Idaho GOP got what it desired -- driving away voters it didn't want involved in nominating its candidates. More here.

Question: Should the Idaho GOP abandon its closed primary, which has depressed voter turnout?