Proposed Idaho Republican rule changes would have dramatic impact on young voters | Opinion

Idaho GOP

It has come to our attention that on Jan. 6-7, the Idaho Republican Party will be voting on two proposed rule changes that will have a significant impact on how younger voters are able to participate in Idaho politics:

• It is proposed that affiliate organizations be removed from the Idaho Republican Party executive team and central committee.
• It is proposed that a voter cannot participate in the Idaho primary process if not affiliated with the Idaho Republican party for the last 25 months.

Across the nation, Republicans continue to lose ground to Democrats by a 3:1 ratio with the younger generation. If we continue to play this out over the next 10 years, the forecast is bleak for Republicans if we do not reverse this trend.

Due to an effective ground game and indoctrination, most first-time voters register as Democrats or Independents. This puts Republicans at an immediate disadvantage. Thankfully, due to groups like the Young Republicans and College Republicans, Idaho has made strides in convincing these voters to switch to our party.

By placing a 25-month restriction for Republican affiliation, the current rule will effectively eliminate any success made on campuses, churches, and in our communities with students and young families. We are essentially telling our young voters they are not able to participate in our primaries for potentially up to four years. We agree that cross-over voting is a serious issue but there are commonsense amendments that can be made to stop blatant occurrences without impacting honest, new Republican voters.

In addition, by removing the voice of their organizations from the Idaho Republican Party leadership, we also take away any remaining opportunity for these groups to influence the party.

It takes effort to keep younger voters engaged. We can attest to that as five Young Republican legislators. While these rule changes may look good to some on the surface, we are certain they will have unintended consequences that will negatively impact Republican prospects for the future.

We strongly recommend the Idaho Republican Party State Central Committee vote down these proposed rule changes as-written or amend them to something that makes sense.

Idaho Sen. Ben Adams, Reps. Jeff Ehlers, Kevin Andrus, James Petzke and Dustin Manwaring

Washington

As I see what unfolds in Congress, this Mark Twain quote comes to mind: “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”

As I see what unfolds in the White House, this Forrest Gump quote comes to mind: “Stupid is as stupid does.”

Michael A. Civiello, Boise

House goals

Some thoughts for the new Republican House:

1. Stop the flow of illegal immigrants across the southern border. No diversionary debate on amnesty.

2. Investigate our “Justice” and “Intelligence” Agencies. Recent information from Twitter shows unlawful involvement by agencies we have long held as impartial defenders of our country. The FBI the DOJ need to be held to account with hard questions asked.

3. Ensure equal application of the law. A dangerous and insidious belief is taking root in our country is that it depends on who you are, what party you are a member of, or what “demographic” you belong to, determines the justice received.

4. The budget. The new House must correct the flagrant overspending by this administration. There is nothing “free” that our government provides — it all comes from taxpayers across the country.

5. Defend the country. The feckless actions of the current administration in Afghanistan, the focus on cultural issues such as the so-called CRT and the delay in addressing the strategic issues posed by China are all catalysts here. Winning on the next battlefield is not an option; it is an absolute necessity.

Action, clarity and transparency must be the core of everything the new house does.

Robert Coates, Meridian

This story was originally published January 4, 2023 at 2:20 PM with the headline "Proposed Idaho Republican rule changes would have dramatic impact on young voters | Opinion."