Little: New closed-primary bill not perfect, but better than expected

Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little is addressing the Idaho Press Club this morning; answering questions from reporters, Little said he’s generally in favor of the closed-primary bill that’s in the works, though he would have preferred leaving Idaho’s primary election system the way it is. “I’m kinda like the secretary of state, I think participation is a very important thing in the electoral process, so maximizing participation is very important,” he said. The new bill, which Little said is likely to come out late this week or early next week, still would permit “non-affiliated” voters to vote in Republican primaries under certain circumstances, he said. “Is it perfect? In my opinion, no. Will it satisfy the federal judge? Yes. Will it maximize participation? I think it will more than I thought it was going to.”