Election 2024: Idaho Proposition 1 ballot initiative trailing in early, unofficial election results

Two opposing signs Proposition 1 signs funded by Idahoans for Open Primaries and the Ada County Republican Central Committee stand side by side on Federal Way in Boise. (Mia Maldonado/Idaho Capital Sun)

In one of the most closely watched elections in Idaho, the Proposition 1 ballot initiative that seeks to end closed party primary elections and bring ranked-choice voting to general elections, appeared to be failing in early partial, unofficial election results released Tuesday night by the Idaho Secretary of State's Office.

According to partial, unofficial election results released at 10:15 p.m. Tuesday by the Idaho Secretary of State's Office, 66.6% of Idaho voters voted against Proposition 1, while 33.4% of voters voted for it, with zero of Idaho's 44 counties fully reporting. Incomplete election results show 228,314 voters voted against Proposition 1, while 114,437 voters voted in favor of it.

"We're looking to have some big wins tonight and defeat Prop 1 big time," Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon said to a round of applause at the Idaho GOP election night watch party Tuesday night in Meridian.

Proposition 1 requires a simple majority of votes to be approved.

Election results do not become official in Idaho until they are certified by the Idaho State Board of Canvassers, which will happen Nov. 26 at the Idaho Statehouse in Boise.

"We are all hoping that Proposition 1 goes down," Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador said Tuesday night at the Idaho GOP election party.

Before the election, the Idaho Republican Party, Republicans in the Idaho House of Representatives and Gov. Brad Little came out in opposition to Proposition 1. The Idaho Education Association, former Republican Gov. Butch Otter, the Idahoans for Open Primaries coalition that includes Reclaim Idaho and the Idaho chapter of Mormon Women for Ethical Government and a group of about 50 former Republican elected officials came out in support of Proposition 1.

How does Idaho's Proposition 1 work?

In Idaho a ballot initiative is a form of direct democracy where the voters — not the Idaho Legislature – decide whether to pass a law. If it passes, Proposition 1 would change primary elections and general elections in Idaho. Proposition 1 would repeal Idaho's closed party primary law, House Bill 351 , which the Idaho Legislature passed in 2011. Under the 2011 closed primary law, political parties do not have to let voters vote in their primary election unless they are affiliated with that political party.

Need to get in touch?

Have a news tip?

In Idaho, more than 275,000 of the state's 1 million registered voters are unaffiliated voters who are not allowed to vote in closed party primary elections, such as the Republican, Libertarian or Constitution Party primary elections.

Only the Idaho Democratic Party allowed outside voters to vote in its primary elections, the Idaho Secretary of State's Office said.

Instead of closed party primary elections, Proposition 1 calls for a single, nonpartisan primary election that is open to all voters and all political candidates, regardless of party affiliation. The four primary election candidates who receive the most votes all advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. That means that there may be multiple candidates from the same political party — or even races with candidates all from the same political party — in the general election.

For the general election, Proposition 1 would create a system of ranked-choice voting, which is sometimes called an instant runoff system, in the general election. Under that system, voters pick their favorite candidate and then have the option to rank the remaining candidates in order of preference — second choice, third and fourth. Voters are not required to rank all candidates if they don't want to. Voters' ballots will still be counted even if they don't rank the candidates.

To count the results in the general election, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their votes are transferred to the next-highest-ranked active candidate on ballots where other candidates were ranked. That process continues until there are two candidates remaining and the candidate with the most votes is elected the winner.

Even if Idaho voters approve Prop 1, the Idaho Legislature can still block it or change it

Even if voters approve Proposition 1, the Idaho Legislature can still amend or repeal it, just like any other state law. In the lead up to the election, two prominent members of the Idaho House of Representatives, House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, and Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, told the Idaho Capital Sun that they do foresee scenarios where Republicans in the Idaho House would amend or repeal Proposition 1, even if voters approve it.

The 2025 Idaho legislative session is scheduled to convene Jan. 6, less than nine weeks away.

In October, Idahoans for Open Primaries spokesperson Luke Mayville told the Sun that Proposition 1 supporters will launch an awareness campaign to make sure every legislator hears directly from constituents in their district who voted for Proposition 1.

"Any attempt to repeal or water down a successful citizen initiative would be a betrayal of the will of voters," Mayville said Oct. 7. "We are not surprised that there are elected officials and party insiders who are doing everything in their power to defeat Proposition 1. These are the same people who benefit from a broken system and have an interest in keeping it broken."

There is precedent for the Idaho Legislature blocking a ballot initiative. Idaho voters approved a ballot initiative in 1994 calling for term limits for elected officials, including Idaho legislators. But in 2002, the Idaho Legislature repealed the term limits law , even overriding a gubernatorial veto to prevent term limits from taking effect.

To implement Proposition 1, officials may first need to update the software for Idaho's vote tabulation equipment or replace vote tabulation equipment. In a July letter to legislative leaders, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane said Idaho's vote tabulation equipment is not certified to process ranked-choice ballots. McGrane estimated it could cost $25 million to $40 million if the state needs to replace its vote tabulation equipment. But Proposition 1 supporters said there is low-cost software available that has been certified in Utah and can be certified in Idaho to process ranked-choice ballots and the state does not need to spend millions to replace equipment.