Ranked Choice Voting Changes The Rules

Imagine you’ve just lost the Super Bowl. As you assess what went wrong and plan for next time, do you: (a) improve your weakest positions and practice harder, or (b) change the rules to favor your current team?

Democrats have been choosing option “b” quite often lately:

- In 2020, Democratic governors and secretaries of state unilaterally changed mail-in voting rules in ways that conveniently favored their candidates.
- This year, after President Joe Biden lost a debate so badly that he dropped out of the race, his party elevated a woman, Vice President Kamala Harris, who had not won a single primary.
- Just in the past few weeks, Democrats have sued to keep potential spoilers like Jill Stein and Cornel West off the ballot in swing states, while keeping Robert Kennedy Jr. on now that he has endorsed Donald Trump.

The Democratic motto might as well be “If you cannot win, change the rules.” This explains why they are supporting Proposition 1, the Ranked Choice Voting initiative that would radically alter the way Idahoans vote.

Idaho is a red state, and its citizens hold many traditionally conservative values. This is reflected in voter registration, with nearly 60% of all registered voters in Idaho choosing to affiliate with the Republican Party. This is also reflected in the breakdown of our Legislature, where more than 82% of senators and representatives are Republicans.

Democratic policies like abortion up until birth, transgender drugs and surgeries for minors, high taxes, and cradle-to-grave welfare are deeply unpopular here. Unable to win the battle of ideas, Democrats want to change the rules instead.

Proposition 1 is not about open primaries despite what its supporters claim. Idaho had open primaries until 2012, when the Republican Party began requiring primary voters to affiliate with the party. Prop 1 would create a “jungle primary,” a “blanket primary,” putting Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, independents, and everyone else all on the same ballot.

Prop 1 would also change our general election to Ranked Choice Voting, a complicated and confusing system that is hard to understand and nearly impossible to audit by hand. It would decrease both voter participation as well as trust in our election systems.

Democrats claim to want higher turnout and more citizen participation, when their true goal is fewer Republicans with traditional conservative values in elected office.

Senator Jim Risch, who has been in politics long enough to recognize Democrat dirty tricks, said it well: “Ranked choice voting would end Idaho’s elections as we know them and stick Idahoans with a significant bill.”

Vote no on Prop 1. Vote no on Ranked Choice Voting.