Letters to the Editor: 10/2/24

Idaho voters faced with Proposition 1 on the ballot this November will have an easy decision to VOTE NO on this shameful lie. The out-of-state, big money proponents of the initiative call it a return to Open Primaries. They are misleading the public about the true nature of the measure. Proposition 1, according to the voters pamphlet, would (1) replace voter selection of party nominees with a Top-Four Primary and (2) require a ranked choice voting system for general elections. The primaries would be a single long list of anybody wanting to run, any party, even from jail, like in Alaska right now. And Ranked Choice Voting is like casino gambling. Make your picks, pull the handle and let the computer decide who wins. Audits and recounts are impossible. Why should we throw away our vote when Idaho already has a trusted voting system? Vote NO on Prop1. 

Bill Gaffney
Orofino

Here’s a fun word for today – MILQUETOAST

If the sore losers who are currently pushing Proposition 1 (Ranked-Choice-Voting) are successful in Idaho next month, our election system will start installing a lot more “milquetoast” candidates into government office.

That’s a very bad thing for our republic.

You see, in a Ranked-Choice-Voting election system, your second, third, or fourth place votes can carry just as much weight as your first place vote. So to win, a candidate doesn’t really have to stand out and win the active support of a bunch of people – instead, aspiring candidates can quietly lay low and collect second or third place votes while the more bold candidates are demonized as extremists or too controversial. Being “milquetoast” is the winning strategy in Ranked Choice Voting elections.

Our elections are important. They should be simple and transparent. Candidates should be encouraged to be honest with their potential voters. We want to elect real leaders who will stand tall behind their bold ideas – not milquetoast nondescript placeholders.

Nicholas Contos
Idaho Falls

The Gem State Chronicle publishes letters to the editor weekly on Wednesdays. Submit your own letter to editor@gemstatechronicle.com. The editors reserve the right to publish or decline on a case by case basis, but generally anything that avoids vulgarity or obvious slander will be accepted. Keep it concise!