Idaho

AG Labrador sues to block open primary, ranked choice voting initiative

Published

2 years ago

July 25, 2024

AG Labrador sues to block open primary, ranked choice voting initiative

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador filed suit with the state supreme court Wednesday to block a ballot initiative that would implement a top-four primary system and ranked choice voting.

Labrador’s office announced the lawsuit late Wednesday afternoon.

The initiative sponsored by Idahoans for Open Primaries has already been certified by county clerks and the Idaho Secretary of State’s office and is set to go before voters in November.

Labrador’s office argues the campaign used “deceptive practices” to gather signatures by continuing to call it an “open primary” system and by downplaying the ranked choice voting component.

“If you’re lying about what the purpose of the initiative is, if you’re deceiving the public about the purpose of the initiative, you are going to get a bunch of signatures, absolutely,” Labrador said.

An open primary, the attorney general said, doesn’t accurately describe the system that would be implemented by the initiative.

The top four candidates receiving the most support from all voters during a primary would advance to a general election. A person’s political party affiliation would not prevent them from being able to choose among all candidates.

Voters would then be able to rank candidates by order of preference in the general election under a ranked choice voting scheme.

If no candidate received a majority in the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes would be eliminated. That candidate’s votes would then be reassigned among the remaining three candidates based on a voter’s second choice.

If that argument doesn’t persuade justices, Labrador also said the initiative violates the Idaho Constitution’s single subject rule.Article III, Section 16 mandates any legislation refer to a single subject and “matters properly connected.”

In a statement, Luke Mayville, a spokesperson for Idahoans for Open Primaries, called the lawsuit a “political stunt” that won’t be taken seriously by the court.

“Instead of letting voters decide, the Attorney General is attempting to interfere in the election to deny voters a voice,” Mayville said.

Saying the campaign deceived voters into signing its petition is “baseless” according to Mayville, and an “insult” to the thousands of volunteers who spent their time gathering signatures.

As for potentially violating the Idaho Constitution’s single subject rule, “The two parts of the initiative both belong to a single subject, which is voting,” he said.

The attorney general asked the Idaho Supreme Court to expedite its consideration of the lawsuit, since the secretary of state must send ballots to be used for the general election to county clerks by Sept. 6.

“This is the only check that we have on the initiative process is to make sure the laws were followed adequately,” Labrador said.

Should the initiative survive this legal challenge and earn a majority of support in November’s election, it would circumvent political parties’ closed primary systems.

The Idaho Republican Party strongly opposes ranked choice voting, with state lawmakers banning the practice last year. They say it’s undemocratic and causes too much confusion among voters.

This isn’t the first time Labrador and Idahoans for Open Primaries have clashed within the justice system.

Last August, campaign organizers won a lawsuit against the attorney general in the Idaho Supreme Court.

Justices unanimously agreed the legal descriptions of the initiative written by Labrador’s office that were required to start gathering signatureswere prejudicial.

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Idaho

Fire damages sheds, power lines near W. Idaho Ave in Ontario

Published

12 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Fire damages sheds, power lines near W. Idaho Ave in Ontario

ONTARIO, Oregon — A fire in a lot near W. Idaho Ave and South Oregon Street in Ontario has visibly damaged sheds and power lines.

Idaho News 6 arrived at the scene Sunday morning at around 12 p.m., finding nearby sheds across a fence line scorched, but standing. Power lines appeared to be damaged in the blaze.

No fire, police, or EMS were still on scene, and there were no surrounding road closures.

Idaho News 6 has reached out to officials and is awaiting additional information.

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Idaho

Volunteers camp out to take part in the Succor Creek Clean-Up in the Owyhees

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Volunteers camp out to take part in the Succor Creek Clean-Up in the Owyhees

ADRIAN, Oregon — The Friends of the Owyhee organized a clean-up in Malheur County in Oregon, and volunteers came out to pick up trash and get rid of abandoned campers.

“We had two abandoned RV’S and a camper that were abandoned out on public lands,” said Tim Davis, who runs the Friends of the Owyhee. “They were sitting there for upwards of a year, and it is really clear that it is hard to get rid of these.”

WATCH| Check out the video to see volunteers demolish a camper—

Volunteers camp out for the Succor Creek Clean-Up in the Owyhees

Davis worked with the local sheriff’s office and the BLM to remove the campers, but he found it difficult because there was no place to take these recreational vehicles. The Gambler 500, an off-road group, brought out some people to demolish a camper with an excavator.

“That is awesome to see the turnout with the army of volunteers we have today,” said Brian Arndt of the Gambler 500 group. “We are going to be able to get the camper all in the dumpster, get it cleaned down to the frame, and then everything that can be recycled will be recycled.”

Volunteers camped out on Succor Creek Road on Friday night so they could get an early start on Saturday. Many volunteers will camp out again on Saturday night and finish the clean-up on Sunday.

“Malheur is the 12th largest county in the United States, and it’s 74 percent public land,” said Davis. “We have very few resources with the BLM; they are understaffed, they have one rec planner right now, so us, as public land owners, should be able to step up and keep this place clean.”

Lela Blizzard works as the lone recreational planner for the Vail District of the BLM, who says most sites have signs that say pack it in and pack it out. She says the BLM really needs the cooperation of the public because of how large it is, and she was happy to see how many volunteers showed up.

“I just want to tell them thank you because I know they are taking time out of their weekend to come out here to help us make sure the land continues to look nice for everyone who comes out to enjoy it,” said Blizzard.

Volunteers covered a lot of ground during this event

Griz Ward is one of the volunteers, and he enjoyed camping out, but he also would like to see people pick up after themselves. When it comes to outdoor recreation, it is so important to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

“If you come out here and play in the area, be respectful,” said Ward. “Pack it in and pack it out, leave no trace and do the right thing, or frankly, stay home.”

The Succor Creek Clean-Up also received a lot of support from the Treasure Valley, as they got donations from the Ontario Sanitation Service with the dumpsters, Tates Rents with the excavator, and United with porta-potties for the campsite.

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