It's definitely mosquito weather, but a can of Off kept the buggers at bay last night while my classmate and friend Ruthann and I enjoyed a nice visit in the front yard.
Ruthann brought her two pups in her spiffy orange side-by-side.
Five dogs had a good time too as they strolled or trotted around the yard, occasionally sniffing each other and even snarling a time or two.
No fights, though, and generally civilized, well behaved pups.
The humans had a good time too.
I saw several similar rigs pass by throughout the evening. It was definitely an ATV type of evening after a somewhat hot but lovely day.
I spent several hours on the lawnmower---enough to get the start of a truck-driver/farmer slight burn.
It was also dirty mowing as the surface has dried out so fast, and the dust is flying. I'm always amazed at this country---how soppin' wet it can be forever. Let the sun shine a couple of days, and it's dry as a bone.
It's also been a little sad to see the daffodils and hyacinths wilt and go limp from the heat.
We've definitely had a taste of summer this week, and it was needed.
Now that gardens are started and yards have had their spring cleaning it's time for a little moderation. And, it looks like that may just happen in a couple of days.
Besides lovely weather and a fun visit, yesterday brought some phenomenal news for the voters of Idaho.
Once again, citizen groups are coming together to attain equitable voting situations in the state.
It's called open primary. The proposed change, to be instituted via Initiative is explained below.
Once more, Sandpoint High graduate Luke Mayville is involved in the leadership of this collaborative move.
I encourage you to read the letter below, and to pass along this information to anyone you know who has been frustrated by the closed primary process in the state. Also, get involved.
As a traditionally independent voter, I'm thrilled with this news.
There's hope for more equitable representation in future elections, and that is a good thing.
Happy Wednesday.
Dear Supporters of Reclaim Idaho,
Eight months ago, we toured the state and asked Reclaim supporters and volunteers what our next initiative campaign should be.
Overwhelmingly, the most agreed upon idea was to end the closed Republican primary and give power back to the people of Idaho.
More specifically, many of you called for an initiative that would resemble Alaska’s “Top 4” election system. In Alaska, all voters vote in the same open primary election. The top 4 candidates in the primary advance to the general election, and the winner is then selected by instant runoff voting (also called "ranked choice").
Ever since September of last year, we’ve been carefully exploring possibilities for election reform and discussing the concept with potential coalition partners.
Today, we are thrilled to announce that Reclaim Idaho is joining Idahoans for Open Primaries, a coalition that will work together to put election reform on the ballot.
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On Saturday, Former Republican
Speaker of the House Bruce Newcomb added his name as one of the first 20
signers of the Open Primaries Initiative
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So far, the coalition includes the Idaho Task Force of Veterans for Political Innovation, Represent Us Idaho, North Idaho Women, the Hope Coalition, and Reclaim Idaho. We anticipate many more groups joining in the coming months as we hold kickoff events across the state.
The Open Primaries Initiative was filed with the office of the Idaho Secretary of State this morning and will likely be certified for signature collection by late June. If we’re successful, it will appear on the November 2024 ballot. Here are the basics of the initiative:
- The initiative will end Idaho’s closed Republican primary and create a non-partisan primary system, open to all voters regardless of party affiliation. The top four candidates will advance to the general election.
- In the general election, voters will have the freedom to pick their top candidate and also to rank additional candidates in order of preference.
- To make sure the winner enjoys support from a broad coalition of voters and not just a narrow faction, there will be Instant Runoff Voting in the general election (also called “ranked choice voting”). If no candidate wins over 50% of the vote once all first-choice rankings are counted, the last-place candidate is eliminated and each vote for that candidate is transferred to the voter’s second-choice candidate. This process repeats until a candidate receives over 50% of the vote and is declared the winner.
Why support the Open Primaries Initiative? There are at least two big reasons: This initiative will give us more freedom and better leadership.
- More freedom. It’s wrong that Idaho blocks independent voters from participating in elections unless they join a political party. The Open Primaries initiative will give all voters, regardless of party affiliation, the freedom to vote in all elections.
- Better leadership. By giving voice and power back to Idaho voters, the Open Primaries initiative will help elect more independent-minded leaders who are focused on solving problems, not wasting time with distractions and controversies that turn us against each other.
The Open Primaries Initiative gives us a way to strike at the root of so many of Idaho's problems. Instead of targeting one injustice at a time, we have a chance to target the broken political system that generates so much injustice year after year.
Working together, we can return power to voters and make Idaho a better place to live. Will you click below to join this campaign?
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Thank you!
Luke Mayville
Executive Director, Reclaim Idaho Fund, Inc. |
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