Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has refiled a lawsuit in the Fourth Judicial District aimed at challenging a ballot initiative to end closed primary elections. The initiative, if approved by voters in November, would create a nonpartisan primary election open to all voters, with the top four candidates moving on to the general election where voters could rank their choices. Labrador’s lawsuit argues that the initiative’s description is inaccurate and that signatures were obtained fraudulently. The Idaho Supreme Court rejected an earlier petition, stating that fraud allegations about the signatures should be addressed in lower courts. The new complaint reflects this guidance and focuses on deceptive signature-gathering, leaving aside constitutional contentions until after the election.
The initiative has garnered support from some former state leaders, like former Republican Gov. Butch Otter, who believe it would give a wider spectrum of residents a say in choosing leaders. However, Labrador and the Idaho Republican Party have organized against it, arguing that the initiative would abolish party primaries and institute ranked-choice voting in the general election. Labrador is seeking to nullify the collected signatures, withdraw the initiative, and halt the election process. Idahoans for Open Primaries, the group behind the initiative, criticize Labrador for attempting to interfere with the election process and deny voters a say in the matter. The legal disputes surrounding the initiative date back to last year, with disagreements over how to describe the proposed election system.
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