This session, we have seen endless legislation related to the consolidation of power by the extreme right. It began with stripping power from other elected officials. This included restricting the governor’s power to act in an emergency, limiting the attorney general’s job responsibilities, and pulling power from local elected officials. More recently, the extreme right has targeted voters by passing voter suppression legislation in all different forms.
First, we saw House Bill 88, the “ballot harvesting” bill, which created a misdemeanor charge for collecting and delivering any ballot beyond your own and one family member’s. That bill was amended to allow 6 ballots to be delivered and was then passed on the House Floor.
Rep. James Ruchti
Senate Bill 1110 makes it nearly impossible for an average Idahoan to create a voter initiative, requiring signatures from 6% of registered voters in all 35 districts in Idaho for approval. Current law requires signatures from 6% of registered voters in 18 districts, a high and difficult standard established by the Legislature only in the last several years. Why is the Legislature doing this, you might ask. It is because voters successfully passed Medicaid Expansion, and they fear the voters may successfully approve other initiatives in the future.
After targeting voters’ rights, they went a step further, targeting the Idahoans who need our support most—working families. Following a nearly 2-hour long debate on the House Floor over House Bill 226, the legislature chose to reject nearly $6 million of federal funding for early childhood learning.
This shocking vote came after a smear campaign against the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children, the organization set to manage the funds. The bill’s detractors sought to defeat it by throwing as much mud as they could, ensuring it was too stained to pass.
The debate included an inappropriate discussion of the harms of social justice education, with many legislators voicing their unfounded fears that Idaho children would be taught about issues of race and privilege. To be clear, I believe these are valuable and necessary lessons children should be taught, but the allegations were unsupported by facts. The floor debate then devolved even lower as several legislators argued early childhood learning programs encourage mothers to neglect their domestic duties.
This legislation would have allowed local communities to tailor the way the funds were used. It was even approved by the Trump administration and supported by our two U.S. Senators. The legislation was presented again this week, and we hope it’ll have better results this time.
Why would the party of independence and limited government work so hard to strip control away from local governments, voters, and working families. The answer is simple: power and fear. They want the power to reshape Idaho, and they fear those who would stand in the way of their vision.
So, what does their new Idaho look like? It is one where ideas of social justice are held in disdain. It is one where only those who are “pure” enough serve in elected office. It is one where K-12 schools and universities must conform their curriculum to far right viewpoints. It is one where businesses struggle to recruit talented workers and where Idaho’s biggest export is our children and grandchildren.
Working Idahoans want affordable childcare, good paying jobs, accessible voting, and a welcoming business climate. They want representatives who actually represent their values. We can change the unfortunate path our state finds itself following, but only with hard work, focus and a willingness to fight for a better Idaho. The work to reflect the will of the people begins now.