Open Primaries Initiative reaches 50,000 signatures

By Reader Staff

Idahoans for Open Primaries announced Dec. 13 that it has secured 50,000 signatures for a petition to end closed primaries and give Idahoans the option to participate in primary elections regardless of political affiliation.

The group seeks to place the Open Primaries Initiative on the November 2024 ballot. If successful, the ballot measure would create a nonpartisan primary system that is open to all voters. The current closed primary system, which began in 2011, gives parties the option to restrict their primaries to registered party members. 

The Idaho Republican Party primary has been closed since 2011, while the Idaho Democrats and Constitution Party have chosen to keep their primaries open to unaffiliated voters, of which there are an estimated 270,000 in the state.  

“Our coalition has set a goal of collecting 100,000 signatures before submitting to the Secretary of State’s Office to be certified,” stated Margaret Kinzel, co-leader of the Idaho chapter of Mormon Women for Ethical Government, one of the organizations supporting the initiative. “The fact that volunteers have already reached 50,000 signatures in just four months is a testament to how passionate Idahoans are about the prospect of an open primary.” 

State regulations make it challenging to place a citizen-led initiative on the ballot. To qualify, the campaign must collect valid signatures from 6% of all Idaho voters who were registered at the most recent general election, which amounts to 62,895 signatures statewide. The campaign must also collect signatures from 6% of registered voters in 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts. The deadline to be included on the November ballot is May 1, 2024. 

“We are confident that these reforms will not only give Idaho voters more quality candidates and choices, but it will also ensure all voters have their voices heard,” Kinzel added. “In a taxpayer-funded election, no voter should be forced to pick a party to participate. All voters should be able to cast their vote for any candidate they believe in.”

Get more info at OpenPrimariesID.org.