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October 14, 2010 in City, Idaho
GOP argues for closed primary in Idaho
BOISE – The Idaho Republican Party finally got its chance Wednesday to make a case for scrapping the state’s open primary, which they say allows Democratic voters to unfairly influence GOP politics and results at the ballot box.
The job of defending Idaho’s 37-year-old system has put Secretary of State Ben Ysursa at odds with his own party’s wishes. But in a state already dominated by the GOP, Ysursa questioned the merits of tinkering with a system that’s reaping Republican benefits.
Currently, Idaho has an open primary, meaning voters can cast a ballot in any party they choose, a system similar to primaries in 20 other states.
Two years ago, members of the most conservative wing of the party convinced the state party to sue the state in a bid to close primary elections to only registered Republicans. They contended Democrats, independents and members of other parties systematically cross party lines to influence primaries.
Testimony Wednesday before U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill focused on a survey this year that questioned 400 voters who cast ballots in the 2008 primary.
The survey found that 41 percent of those voters identified themselves as non-GOP voters. Of those, 39 percent who identified as Democrats or likely to vote for Democrats said they usually take part in Republican primaries.
Party lawyers argue crossover voters infringe on the First Amendment right to free association because the open primary lumps the GOP faithful in the same voting pool as nonmembers.
Defense attorneys said the survey lacked convincing data to show any effect at the ballot box.
The trial is scheduled to conclude Friday.
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WM on October 14 at 2:58 p.m.
Notice to Idaho Incumbent Republican Party
Why is it that the current Idaho Republican Party is not only attacking Democrats/Independents for going after weaker Republicans, but also any Republican new comer that might want to make a difference in our community? This is disgraceful. WE THE PEOPLE, Your constituents who have elected you to represent them deserve better. The election process is all about finding a representative that will provide tangible evidence that they can represent the wants and needs of its constituents. It seems that our current Incumbent Republican party is all about suing to keep their jobs instead of working harder to represent their constituents.
WM