Labrador Letter: The Defeat of Prop 1

Dear Friends,

Proposition 1 was soundly defeated, sending a clear message: Idaho voters are not for sale. Despite millions in out-of-state funding and extensive support from national groups attempting to influence our state’s elections, the common sense of Idahoans prevailed.

For most, the decision was straightforward. Idaho voters were not swayed by liberal media narratives or external agendas. They saw the proposition for what it was – an attempt to introduce ranked-choice voting, a purposefully convoluted system, to Idaho’s elections. RCV was so unpopular that the proponents of Proposition 1 barely mentioned it in their campaign to gather signatures and their ads supporting the initiative. 

Idaho wasn’t the only state to reject Ranked Choice Voting on election night. Missouri banned RCV with their Amendment #7. Nevada voters rejected RCV with Question #3. Even in the blue states of Oregon and Colorado, voters rejected Ballot Measure 117 and Proposition 131, respectively. RCV lost in every state where it was on the ballot – except in Washington, D.C. Go figure.

In Idaho, Proposition 1 had the illusory appearance of widespread approval. Former elected officials endorsed the idea. The local mainstream media (we need a better term to describe them at this point) promoted Prop 1 at every opportunity with numerous positive stories about the broad support enjoyed by the initiative. Fawning interviews and an endless cavalcade of glowing op-eds from out-of-touch commentators filled their pages and posts. Editorial boards sugar-coated the flaws and excoriated anyone who questioned the proponent’s deceptive signature gathering and advertising. Parroting the now-rejected taglines from the Biden-Harris campaign, the media breathlessly told Idaho voters that support for Prop 1 would save democracy from destruction. In response, Idaho voters overwhelmingly rejected this fearmongering.

I was a frequent target of negative op-eds for my legal opposition to the proponent’s deceptive practices. One indignantly self-righteous editorial writer went so far as to call the upcoming Prop 1 vote a referendum on my leadership. He told his readers that a vote for the proposition would send a strong message that I’m out of touch with Idahoans. I’m sure he would have chosen different phrasing had he known how badly the proposal would go down in flames. Even though it was not about me, I’ll happily accept the results of that referendum – 69.6% to 30.4% is a pretty strong message, but not the one he thought the people would send. Now that the people have spoken, maybe he will see the light and realize that he, like most of Idaho’s liberal media, is out of touch with everyday Idahoans.

Again, I want to thank Idaho’s voters for standing strong and seeing through the mirage. In the meantime, I will continue to proudly do my duty as your Attorney General. It’s my honor to serve you.