Go back in time and find this ludicrous situation. Post world war two. Pre anything. Pretty soon we’ll be fighting in the streets. These people will stop at nothing. And I do mean nothing.

You both lament the process, and then in the last sentence say it doesn’t really matter any way. So which is it? Does it matter, or does it not matter?

If a person is so disinterested in politics that they can’t be bothered to research the primary candidates and make an informed decision as a registered member of some party, then frankly do we want that uninformed voter determining the November ballot? No. The reason there is a primary and then a general election is so that parties have the opportunity to determine their best candidate, and then so the general public can chose among the parties.

And as to the difference between Dem & GOP, the democratic party made the choice to have an open primary, meaning unaffiliated voters can vote for Dem. primary candidates. That was their call. If you think it will cause confusion, then take it up with them. Don’t whine about the confusing differences while only blaming one side. The democratic party had to specifically opt out of the closed primary process in order to allow unaffiliated voters to participate in their primary.

If someone isn’t mentally capable enough to understand the difference between a closed primary and an open primary and why they see which people on each ballot, then are they really going to be making informed choices based on the issues? Or are they just marking a box because they saw a sign for that name or because their church leaders told them to vote for “our person.”

If someone insists on being a non-partisan free thinker and doesn’t want to have a party affiliation on record, then good. Don’t whine about not having a say in a specific party’s candidate choices, while also professing to be so nonpartisan as to be above party affiliation. Walk the walk.

“Of course from a practical standpoint MOST of the Republicans who are elected at the upcoming May 15 primary will be sure fire winners in November.”
If MOST of the Primary winners will go on to win in November, then the choice at the Primary becomes that much more important…. if you care enough to get involved.

So get involved. Shape the candidates for which ever party you think most closely aligns with your values. Or don’t get involved due to apathy or nonpartisan observer ideals. But choose one.

I’m going to vote in both and I dare the Republicans to stop me. Want to arrest me? Take me to court? Go ahead, I welcome the constitutional challenge.

What I mean is, I’m registering democrat and voting in the Republican Primary. How will they ever know?

EDITOR NOTE–You declare at the polls and you get the appropriate ballot. No way to register one way and vote another in the primary. If you are not affiliated, you get to vote only to retain three judges.

@Zippo

yes there is a list. That list is kept at the Ada County Elections office and is provided to each respective party.

if you registered to vote since July 1 of 2010, then you had to check the box to declare affiliation. If you did not check any box, then you are registered, but are unaffiliated and will get just the non-partisan position ballot.

” This could be troubling to newsies–like the GUARDIAN–” BG- How would you get in trouble when you are your own boss?

What you see as a privacy issue, campaigns will see as a fabulous mailing list. They will know be able to direct mailings to the party faithful or to the not so faithful.

@Paul – You realize that this same caucus process is in place in many many many many many other states? So this isn’t just poor little Idaho voters that have this caucus process foisted on them.

Though, in fairness, I should point out that each county in Idaho established the guidelines and locations for their caucus. Don’t like the GOP caucus process this year? Then vote out the county chair and put power in a different set of hands.

Dave/Editor – how in the heck is that confusing? Everybody has always been able to vote for judges regardless of whether you vote the Dem primary or the Rep primary. The only thing different this year is you have to declare.

It’s not confusing, it may be irritating, but if you’re confused by that, and are unable to spend a second asking the question and getting an answer, then please, do your country, your state and your county a favor – stay home.

EDITOR NOTE–Dave and editor are NOT on e in the same. Dave the reader appeared to think non affiliated voters were the only ones to vote for judges or that Dems and Repubs couldn’t vote for judges. I thought I gave a decent explanation.

Thank you again Guardian! This time you focused my attention to revisit what I had generally written off as just one more ho-hum primary election.

While verifying our most recent polling place (Yes, it has been moved again. . .) we happened to view the sample ballots. It appears to us that the Melba school board has once again acted with its consistent, pre-established, conniving, efficiency for no information, or slanted misinformation, to use the BACK of the PRIMARY ballot for a Supplemental Levy.

We went so far as to drive to a couple of previous polling places the day when all of the other local Districts were holding their Bond and Supplemental elections. We were assured at that time that Melba was not having one. No one mentioned that, like a parasitic rider attached to a Congressional bill, they would be running one under most folk’s radar on the back side of a Primary Election ballot.

I know that our rulers don’t count it as such but I view every increase in all forms of taxes, and even the recent, but unheralded 25 to 30 increase in Ada trash fees as significant inflation.

Guardian,
I haven’t read through the rest of the comments to see if this information got corrected, but your note to Boise Cynic is wrong:

You said: “EDITOR NOTE–You declare at the polls and you get the appropriate ballot. No way to register one way and vote another in the primary. If you are not affiliated, you get to vote only to retain three judges.”

Here’s the real story: You do declare at the polls, but your party affiliation does NOT dictate the ballot you can receive. The Democrats haven’t closed their primary so ANYONE (even affiliated R’s) can choose to vote a Democrat ballot. On the flip side, since the Republicans have closed their primary, only affiliated R’s get an invite to that party…

If you have previously registered and declared your party as “unaffiliated,” you can choose which ballot you would like to vote at the polls.

Your affiliation, and the party ballot you receive, however, is public record for the world to see (and if you’re a news reporter, judge, or other honcho, likely for Wayne Hoffman to publish)

That was some smooth politikin’ on the part of lawmakers who forced the closed primary.

I work as a Chief Judge for the elections, and if you tally the salaries of each chief judge, plus the 7-8 pollworkers we’ll need to run this madhouse, times 145 precincts…the price tag tops $150,000 for just Ada County to hire enough people to work this over-glorified caucus.