Caucus Talk

By Brent Regan

What to do about the Presidential primary? Our legislators are currently in Boise doing the work of the people and one of the matters they are considering is what to do about the Presidential Primary, which is held once every four years. Back in 2023 the House passed Bill 138 which was supposed to move the Presidential Primary to May so it would be held the same time as the May Idaho Primary Election, but the bill was badly conceived and drafted as it eliminated the Presidential Primary altogether. In response the Idaho Republican Party implemented a Presidential Caucus to allow Idaho to select their slate delegates to attend the Republican National Convention where the Republican candidate for president, Donald Trump, was chosen.

Thanks to the Republican leadership of Madam Chairman Dorothy Moon and thousands of Republican volunteers from every corner of the state, and despite vocal naysayers, the 2024 Idaho Presidential Caucus was a success and by 8:00 pm that night we had a clear winner. The main difference between a caucus and a primary is that for a caucus you MUST be there in person. There is no early or absentee balloting.

The timing of the Presidential Primary of Caucus is important. Under the National Republican Party Rules a state cannot select they delegates prior to March AND the delegated must be selected 45 days prior to the Republican National Convention. This leaves a narrow window of March through mid-May to conduct the Presidential Primary or Caucus. Many states select the first Tuesday in March which has earned it the name “Super Tuesday.” Having an early primary also has the advantage of getting candidates attention because if your primary is held late in the process one of the candidates may have already earned enough delegates to give them the nomination making your state irrelevant to the outcome.

Primary elections are not the same as a general election because primary elections are where the political parties and their affiliated members (voters) select who will represent the party in the next general election. These party primaries are typically run by the state because the state is a neutral entity and the systems and process are already in place and familiar to the voters.

We currently have a general primary every two years in May where the political parties select their candidates for the following general election and we also select precinct committeemen, one from each of our precincts.  Our legislators are now considering restoring the March Presidential Primary. If this happens then every four years we again would have a presidential primary in March AND a general primary in May. Consolidating the primaries in May won’t work because there isn’t enough time before the Republican National Convention. Moving the general primary to March won’t work because the legislature is still in session. Having the Presidential and general primaries too close together places a logistics burden on our elections departments.

Opponents of having a state run Presidential Primary claim that voters who do not affiliate with a party should not be saddled with the cost of a party primary. Proponents argue that the primary is available to all voters who chose to affiliate with a party. It is similar to how everyone pays for a Fire Department, and those services are available to all who need them.

The three workable solutions seem to be: keep the Presidential Caucus, have the Presidential Primary in early March and a May general primary, or consolidating the two primaries in April. Each solution has advantages and disadvantages

If you have a clear preference, let your legislators know. They are in Boise right now representing you.

It’s just common sense.