Secretary of State
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Ysursa (R) | 325,718 | 74.25% |
| Mack Sermon (D) | 112,963 | 25.75% |
* 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.
The Candidates
Complete Coverage
Land Board’s PR agent well known among GOP
BOISE – Idaho’s state Land Board has paid more than a quarter-million dollars since 2007 to one of the state’s top Republican operatives for a public relations campaign, but officials say the state’s getting a great deal. “We’re very happy with the results so far,” said Lands Department Director George Bacon.
Land Board has plan for Idaho cabin sites
BOISE – Idaho’s state Land Board wants public comments on a plan to get the state out of the business of renting lots for lakefront cabins – and give the lessees a chance to buy the lots. The plan, formulated by the state Lands Department and several consultants, calls the cabin sites, including 355 at Priest Lake, “underperforming assets” for the state’s endowment, which largely benefits its public schools, and calls for Idaho to dispose of them.
New lake-site leases in Idaho unconstitutional
BOISE – Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden won a preliminary injunction Wednesday blocking new leases for state-owned lake cabin sites, including 355 at Priest Lake, arguing that the state’s whole system for renting out cabin sites is unconstitutional. Though Idaho owns the land underneath, it’s long allowed private owners to build and own cabins on the lots in exchange for annual rent; some have had the cabins for generations.
State patrol escorts for loads OK’d in ’09
BOISE – State records show that Idaho’s top three elected officials signed off in June 2009 on a plan to have ExxonMobil pay state patrol officers to accompany oversize truckloads of oil refinery equipment as they traveled scenic U.S. Highway 12 in North Idaho. That was a year before three public meetings were held in north-central Idaho about the controversial project, which has drawn hundreds of objections and is currently the topic of a lawsuit pending at the Idaho Supreme Court.
Eye on Boise: Spirited debate in race for Secretary of State
BOISE – They may be lower-profile state offices, but there were lively debates last week in the races for Secretary of State and Lieutenant Governor. Secretary of State Ben Ysursa faced Democratic challenger Mack Sermon, who championed vote-by-mail, saying Idaho would save “millions,” and called for election reforms. Ysursa said he’s proud of his record, and objected – though only mildly – when Sermon said he thought his current job as a college debate coach was just as complicated as serving as secretary of state.
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.
Hayden man to challenge Hart as write-in candidate
A Hayden businessman has filed to run as a write-in candidate against Idaho Rep. Phil Hart, saying Hart’s tax woes prompted him to jump into the race against a fellow conservative. “We all pay our taxes, and my feeling is, what he did was wrong,” Howard Griffiths said of Hart. “There’s no justification for it. If we all took that attitude, and the way Washington’s printing money, this country wouldn’t last three minutes if none of us paid our taxes.”
Editorial: Ysursa’s act deserves kudos – and more teeth
When Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa handed down two fines for campaign disclosure violations last week, he closed his letters by reminding the organizations involved that he’s serious about enforcing the state’s Sunshine Law. The two groups – Idaho Citizens for Justice and Citizens for Commonsense Solutions – had invested a combined $40,000 on campaign literature touting Supreme Court Justice Roger Burdick and attacking his challenger, Judge John Bradbury. They had neglected, however, to follow all the steps required of such organizations in the way they account for the funds that are raised and spent on a political cause.