Campaign to pass Proposition 1 raises more than $1 million

The campaign to eliminate partisan primaries and implement ranked-choice voting in Idaho has amassed more than $1.1 million ahead of the November election.

Campaign finance data show the majority of money raised by Idahoans for Open Primaries comes from donors within the state.

More than two-thirds of that $1.1 million comes from companies, trusts or political action committees.

That includes big donations from the election reform PAC Unite America, Reclaim Idaho and the charitable foundation linked to the founder of Northwest River Supplies in Moscow.

Idahoans for Open Primaries hasn’t spent much just yet. It has about a million dollars in reserve as of Friday.

Only two groups have spent money to oppose Proposition 1 so far.

A PAC called Republicans for Idaho has paid $86,000 for billboards to defeat the measure.

Republicans for Idaho is run by two employees at Melaleuca and lists the company’s Idaho Falls headquarters as its address.

Melaleuca is owned by the state’s richest man and notable Republican operator, Frank Vandersloot.

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