SJR 101
Election Results
| Option | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 279,015 | 64.07% |
| No | 156,441 | 35.93% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About The Measure
This would amend the Idaho Constitution to permit tuition to be charged at the University of Idaho. The Idaho Constitution now forbids that, so students there are charged “fees” rather than tuition. The difference? “Tuition” is what pays for classroom instruction; “fees” pay for everything else. All other Idaho state colleges and universities charge both tuition and fees; that’s left the UI crimped in its flexibility as it copes with state budget cuts, patching together the funding for its various programs. S.J.R. 101 actually passed the Idaho Legislature in 2009, but this is the first general election after that for voters to weigh in. It passed the House 32-2 and the Senate 64-3. Opponents noted that the Constitution envisioned free education for students at the UI, though that’s not quite how it works today.
Complete Coverage
Idaho ballot measures
The Idaho Legislature has approved four proposed amendments to the Idaho Constitution that will appear on the ballot in the Nov. 2 general election. Constitutional amendments require two-thirds approval from each house of the Legislature plus a majority vote of the people at the next general election to pass.
Eye on Boise: Constitutional amendment would allow tuition at UI
BOISE – A little-noticed item on this year’s general election ballot, SJR 101, would amend the Idaho Constitution to permit tuition to be charged at the University of Idaho. The Idaho Constitution now forbids that, so students there are charged “fees” rather than tuition. The difference? “Tuition” is what pays for classroom instruction; “fees” pay for everything else.