skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump signs new executive order to change election rules; NC student loan borrowers could be left behind in Ed Dept. dismantling; Getting a read on SD's incarceration woes and improving re-entry; Nebraska LGBTQ+ group builds community with 'friend raiser.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

'Textgate' draws congressional scrutiny. Trump policies on campus protests and federal workforce cuts are prompting lawsuits as their impacts on economic stability and weather data become clearer.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural folks face significant clean air and water risks due to EPA cutbacks, a group of policymakers is working to expand rural healthcare via mobile clinics and a new study maps Montana's news landscape.

ID veterans support open primary elections initiative

play audio
Play

Tuesday, December 26, 2023   

Idahoans are collecting signatures for an initiative that would open up primary elections, and the measure has support from some of the state's military Veterans.

The group Veterans for Idaho Voters is backing the effort to do away with closed party primaries - so that candidates of every affiliation would be on a single primary ballot, and voters wouldn't have to declare a party affiliation to participate.

Co-founder of the Veterans' group, Todd Achilles, said the current system stops many veterans from voting.

"Basically, a quarter of Idaho voters cannot participate in the primaries, and one of the biggest groups of independent voters are military Veterans," said Achilles. "And so, we served, but we can't vote the way we want - and that's just fundamentally wrong."

Achilles noted that primaries are especially important, because that's where many of Idaho's elections are decided. In 2022, 50 of the 105 legislative seats were uncontested in the General Election.

Opponents of the open primary initiative say it's too confusing for voters and might favor more progressive candidates.

But Achilles said the current, closed primary system has led to more "fringe" candidates winning office.

"When you've got people elected with just a narrow slice of the voters," said Achilles, "they focus on delivering policies that are just narrow, and directed towards that narrow slice of voters."

Under the open primary initiative, the top four candidates from the primary would go on to the General Election - regardless of party affiliation.

Achilles said in that system, candidates would have to appeal to more people in order to prevail.

"We're bringing more candidates out of the primary into the general," said Achilles, "so there's more competition, there's more options for people to vote. And then, the instant runoff process basically allows us to make sure we've got a candidate that's got broad support among the voters in that district."

Idahoans for Open Primaries has collected more than 50,000 signatures. It needs to collect about 63,000 - including 6% from 18 of the state's 35 legislative districts, by May 1.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




get more stories like this via email
more stories
Meals on Wheels of Northern Illinois has community cafés in Cook, Grundy, Kendall and Will counties, providing home-delivered meals to older residents of these areas. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A local "Meals on Wheels" organization is forging ahead with an event to provide meals and personal care items to seniors in four Illinois counties…


Environment

play sound

The feasibility of putting solar panels over the state's network of canals is the topic of a big new research project, co-led by the University of …

Environment

play sound

In the wake of plans to reopen the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Covert Township after three years of inactivity, major tech companies have pledged to …


Legislation failed to pass this session which would have capped health care providers' fees at $50 for patients and their advocates to access their records. (xixinxing/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Patient's rights advocates are working to restrict huge fees some Washington patients must pay in order to access their complete medical records…

Environment

play sound

A new report has found some progress has been made to improve the nation's aging infrastructure, but a lot more needs to be done. This week…

Nationwide, 1.63 million students used e-cigarettes, according to data from the CDC. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Kentucky will soon begin licensing retailers who sell nicotine, which advocates have said will help regulate an industry and protect minors from …

Social Issues

play sound

Wildland firefighting is a tough job and the industry has long struggled with worker retention. Training boot camps have helped bring new …

Social Issues

play sound

By Nina B. Elkadi for Sentient.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for West Virginia News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021