Veterans for Proposition 1

I am an Army Veteran.  I joined Veterans for Idaho Voters, a cross-partisan and independent group of Veterans who believe in fair elections, citizen involvement, sensible policies, and civil politics.  We support Open Primaries and Ranked Choice Voting.  WHY?

80,000 Veterans in Idaho are unaffiliated with a political party (Independents).  They cannot vote in our closed primaries unless they declare a party.  I am an example.  I have voted for members of almost all political parties and independents.  In Idaho I must declare a political party if I want to vote in the primary.  I chose the Republican party.

I’m an Independent.  I should be able to vote for whoever is running for a specific office regardless of party.  It should be my right to vote for a Republican who is running for Governor and an Independent running for State Senator and a Democrat for State Representative.  Open Primaries allow that.  I could vote for the person and how he/she addresses issues, not the party or the party line.

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV): In the general election, I like ranking the candidates for a specific office according to my preference.  This will encourage candidates to refrain from bashing another candidate and instead, talk about issues and policies.  Candidates who attack their opponents would be less likely to be ranked second or third by those who support these opponents.  RCV ensures the winning candidate receives over 50% of the votes.  It is an “instant runoff” and should insure that the winner closely aligns with the values of most of his/her constituents; hopefully, sensible policies and civil politics.

If you are a veteran, consider joining our group.  If not, check out our website at www.v4iv.org  I think you will be surprised at who our membership includes.

Gray Henderson

Bonners Ferry