One of the most contentious issues Idahoans will see on their ballot this election is not the presidential or legislative races, but a “yes” or “no” vote on Proposition 1.

Proposition 1 is a citizen-driven ballot initiative that would establish a primary where all candidates are listed on one ballot regardless of party affiliation. The proposition would also create a ranked-choice voting system in the general election, meaning that rather than selecting one candidate for office, voters could rank the candidates in order of preference.

The Idaho Republican Party has strongly opposed Proposition 1, arguing on its website it is “a plot to engineer election results to turn Idaho blue.” However, the initiative has garnered widespread support from other Republican, Independent and Democratic voters across the state who argue the change would allow the 275,000 registered unaffiliated voters in Idaho to vote in the state’s primary elections. Both sides are receiving significant financial backing.

Like candidates, political committees can raise and spend money for their cause. For example, in 2018, two political committees supporting and opposing a ballot initiative to allow video betting for horse racing spent about $6.4 million each, according to campaign finance reports.

While the spending behind Proposition 1 has not yet reached that level, wealthy Idahoans, everyday residents, local politicians and out-of-state groups have spent thousands of dollars to support and oppose Proposition 1.

Idaho for Open Primaries spends $350,000 to support Proposition 1

The group spearheading the financial support for Proposition 1 is Idahoans for Open Primaries, a political action committee supporting the measure.

“The entire campaign was launched by ordinary Idahoans and funded from day one by the contributions of thousands of Idaho citizens, and along the way we’ve raised large contributions as well,” Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville told the Idaho Capital Sun. “This campaign is clearly so important that thousands of Idahoans have been willing to contribute to it.”

Since registering with the Idaho Secretary of State’s office in late 2023, the committee has raised $2.8 million, with $1.9 million coming from out-of-state groups, and $900,000 from Idahoans. Its top contributor is the Unite America PAC, a philanthropic venture fund headquartered in Colorado that supports party-neutral reforms that improve representation in elections.

Idahoans for Open Primaries has received contributions from more than 5,000 Idahoans in all 44 counties, and the typical donation runs from $5 to a few hundred dollars, Mayville said.

While it has raised $2.8 million, it has only spent $350,000 on electioneering communications, which includes broadcast and print communications promoting the initiative.

The spending behind the opposition to Idaho’s Proposition 1

Groups opposing Proposition 1 have spent more than $460,000 in electioneering communications this year.

Mayville said he is not surprised to see wealthy donors and special interest groups oppose the open primaries initiative.

“Wealthy donors and special interest groups tend to love closed primaries because closed primary elections are low turnout contests where very few people vote, and it’s much easier to control the outcome with money,” Mayville said.

According to campaign finance reports from the Secretary of State’s Office as of Tuesday, the following political committees have spent significant amounts of money in opposition to Proposition 1.

Idaho Rising, based in Star, has spent $241,000 on broadcast advertising against the initiative. The chairperson of the committee is Idaho House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, who previously told the Sun he would consider working to repeal Proposition 1 if it passed.

Idaho Rising’s top contributions include $125,000 from One Person, One Vote, another Idaho political committee that opposes ranked choice voting; $50,000 from Bayer, an agricultural technology company based in Missouri that has a phosphate mine in Soda Springs; and $50,000 from Melaleuca, an Idaho Falls-based company. Other prominent contributions include $25,000 from Idaho Freedom Foundation board member Doyle Beck and $10,000 from Idaho businessman Larry Williams.

Republicans for Idaho, based in Idaho Falls, has spent $86,000 on billboards across Idaho. Unlike the previously mentioned committee, Republicans for Idaho has two donors, and 98% of its funds come from Melaleuca, or $173,000. The committee did not respond to multiple attempts from the Idaho Capital Sun to learn more about its electioneering efforts.

The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee is another political committee opposing Proposition 1. It has spent at least $9,500 in advertisements, newspapers and other communications opposing the initiative.

Brent Regan, the chairman of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, told the Idaho Capital Sun the proposition would cost his county nearly $4 million dollars, citing a July letter from the Idaho Secretary of State to the Idaho Legislature that said the proposition would cost the state at least $25 million to $40 million if the state needs to replace its vote tabulation systems. Idahoans for Open Primaries has said that the state would not have to spend that much because software is available to update Idaho’s current system.