Landlord’s letter on Boise election could be seen as voter intimidation, expert says
It’s not exactly illegal for your landlord to tell you who to vote for, but experts agree it may not be a good idea.
Idaho Statesman reporter Michael Lycklama received a form letter Wednesday from his landlord, Leon Scott, encouraging Lycklama to educate himself on Boise’s candidates and to look into early voting. Scott shared whom he planned to vote for. The letter also included what one political scientist called a “veiled threat” — an implication that if renters voted for candidates who didn’t lower taxes, rents could rise.
“Instead of the developers and the newcomers paying their fair share (through impact fees, etc), we are seeing big increases in our property taxes to fund schools, roads, and infrastructure,” Scott wrote. “Property taxes are a big expense, and one of the biggest drivers of rent increases which directly impacts affordability. Many folks are being taxed out of their homes.”
The letter said Boise has “a tax and spend Mayor and city council” and asks if Boise needs all the things it is spending money on. It also accuses local newspapers and TV and radio stations of behaving like public relations representatives of City Hall.
Jaclyn Kettler, a political scientist at Boise State University’s School of Public Service, said such a letter is “on the path of voter intimidation.” Concerns about improper coercion typically comes from corporate settings when bosses encourage employees to vote a specific way, she said, but it’s not unheard of for landlords to behave the same way.
Landlords inherently have power over their tenants, Kettler said by phone. They have the power to raise rent or not renew a lease, which could lead to someone feeling threatened after receiving such a letter, she said.
“Once you take into account that power dynamic, you start to have more questions,” Kettler said. “If it was just a neighbor or maybe a candidate coming to the door, that’s one thing, but when you take a power dynamic in, that starts to raise questions about intimidation or coercion.”
Idaho Code has a section on voter intimidation. A person cannot “attempt to influence the vote of any elector by means of a promise or a favor, or by means of violence or threats of violence, or threats of withdrawing custom or dealing in business or trade, or enforcing the payment of a debt, or discharging from employment, or bringing a suit or criminal prosecution, or any other threat of injury to be inflicted by him, or by any other means.”
Ada County elections officials see the letter more as an example of “something done in bad taste” than as an act of intimidation, said Chelsea Carattini, spokeswoman for the Ada County Elections office. Officials said the letter itself makes no egregious threats like those in state code, she said.
Jacob Workman, the managing attorney for Idaho Legal Aid Services’ Idaho Falls office and Legal Aid’s housing law chair, said he hadn’t heard of many examples of that sort of letter from others around the state.
Scott wrote that he plans to vote yes on Propositions 1 and 2, which ask voters if they want a future vote on Boise’s planned new main library and a sports park. He wrote that he is voting for Ada County Highway District commission President Rebecca Arnold for mayor and candidates Patrick Bageant, Meredith Stead and Debbie Lombard-Bloom for City Council.
Scott was not immediately available to comment.
Boise assesses developers the full impact fees it can by law, Mike Journee, spokesman for Mayor David Bieter, confirmed Wednesday.
The election is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Early voting, which runs through Friday, is available at the Ada County Elections office and Boise City Hall.
This story was originally published October 30, 2019 at 6:08 PM.
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