Idaho is making news again. This time, the Senate State Affairs Committee passed Idaho S1110. This bill would make getting a ballot initiative approved for the general election almost impossible. The lawmakers who proposed this bill said that current initiatives don’t take into consideration the thoughts of the rural voters. Only urban voters have a voice.
“Urban voters and rural voters have different interests in many cases,” Senator Steve Vick (R) said. “I think that it’s important that we have that broad spectrum of support for an initiative before it gets on the ballot.”
S1110
The opposition for this bill is strong. “There is simply no evidence that rural interests are underrepresented in Idaho politics,” Gary Moncrief, a retired political science professor from Boise State University. He testified against the new bill.
“Before such petitions shall be entitled to final filing and consideration by the secretary of state, there shall be affixed thereto the signatures of legal voters equal in number to not less than six percent (6%) of the qualified electors at the time of the last general election in each of at least eighteen (18) the thirty-five (35) legislative districts.”
This new bill would counteract what activists are currently doing to get reform for their citizens in their state. An organization leading the charge to legalize medical marijuana usage within the state is Kind Idaho. They collected 40,000 signatures at the beginning of 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown stopped their work. They’ve reached out to the secretary of the state to begin collecting signatures again. They recently received approval. If this bill becomes law, all the work organizations are doing will need to start over. That is, if its even possible to get approval in the first place, let alone meet the demands of S1110.
“It seems to me that what we’re setting up is a scheme that is just not democratic,” said Senator Grant Burgoyne (D) in opposition to S1110. “We are all Idahoans.” This proposed law would put urban citizens down, making their voices less than rural areas.
Future
This new bill comes shortly after Idaho lawmakers approved an amendment to ban all usage of psychoactive substances, including medical and recreational cannabis. This amendment alone puts strain against activists, who wish to see the opinion of Idaho citizens heard. Despite this, lawmakers continue to move forward with opposition to their citizens.
S1110 will have a full Senate meeting this Friday February 26. As more information becomes available, we will make sure to update you with the latest.
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