A proposition on the ballot to change the way voting works in Idaho failed in last week's election.

Proposition One would have opened up primaries to create a top-four system and ranked-choice voting in general elections. The measure received 30% approval.

Al Vanderklipp - senior research associate with the Northwest-based think tank Sightline Institute - said even when people dislike the status quo for elections, they are suspicious of proposals to change the way they vote.

"The default stance of most voters is 'no' for these ballot measures," said Vanderklipp, "and so there's a really high bar to educate voters on the potential benefit of why they might want to vote 'yes,' and in this case it appears that bar was not cleared."

Many top Republicans came out in opposition to the measure.

Like many states across the country, state Republicans saw success on Election Day, adding three more seats in the state Legislature to the supermajority they already possessed.

A ranked-choice measure in Oregon also failed.

However, Vanderklipp noted that candidates could win without receiving a majority of the votes.

"Let's say the independent candidate wins 33% of the vote, and the Republican wins 33% of the vote, and the Democrat wins 34%," said Vanderklipp. "That would elect a Democrat in a state that really doesn't elect Democratic candidates - and that would not be representative, probably, of the population as a whole."

Vanderklipp noted that a ranked-choice system could solve this by counting people's second choice in elections.

But with an unpopular result for Proposition One, he said other changes could be possible in the future.

"There are more incremental reforms like top-two primaries, rather than top four," said Vanderklipp. "California and Washington use those. They're pretty popular. They're effective in electing more moderate and more representative candidates."

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




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As 2025 begins, there will be a record number of women serving in state legislatures nationwide.

More than 2,400 women will hold state legislative offices, representing more than 33%. Maine ranks ninth in the nation for statehouse gender parity with women holding 43% of seats.

Jean Sinzdak, associate director of the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University, is pleased the trend is moving in the right direction.

"We need to see bigger jumps in terms of the numbers of women running and then getting elected in order to get closer to parity," Sinzdak pointed out. "We're certainly making progress but there's a ways to go."

Sinzdak explained when women run for office, they win, and it is good for democracy. She noted research shows women are more likely to build consensus among lawmakers and work across the aisle.

The election of Republican Kelly Ayotte as New Hampshire's next governor means a record 13 women will serve as a state chief executive next year, including Maine Gov. Janet Mills. Sinzdak argued the women serve as role models for other women to run for public office but cautioned recruitment efforts for women candidates are still lacking.

She acknowledged caregiving responsibilities often prevent women from running, along with the double standard they face from the public.

"Voters want them to be likeable as well as tough," Sinzdak observed. "Whereas for a lot of male candidates, they don't necessarily need to be likable they just need to be seen as being able to do the job."

Sinzdak emphasized women bring their unique life experiences to the job. In Maine, women lawmakers were instrumental in passing the state's new Paid Family and Medical Leave program and codifying reproductive freedoms into law. Still, the gains for women in statehouses nationwide come as Vice President Kamala Harris failed in her effort to become the first woman president.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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Some experts contend part of the reason Vice President Kamala Harris lost the 2024 presidential election was because of what they're calling "misogynoir", the intersection of sexism and racism.

In 2016, Nevadans supported making Hillary Clinton the first woman president. In 2020 the Silver State backed Joe Biden and Harris, the first woman vice president. But last month, Nevada was won by President-elect Donald Trump.

LaTosha Brown, cofounder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, said despite the loss and Trump's relentless personal attacks on Harris, millions of Americans did vote for her because of what she embodied.

"We cannot also accept this idea that because she was a woman and she was Black, that in fact was a scarlet letter for her," Brown asserted. "In fact, part of the reason why he attacked it was because it was a superpower as well."

Brown argued while Trump made a conscious effort to weaponize gender and race, it also was what made Harris so attractive to many others. But since the election was called and Harris lost every battleground state to Trump, the Democratic Party has been regrouping and trying to figure out what went wrong. While some are citing outside forces, others believe it was Democrats' inability to address issues affecting the working class.

Melanie Campbell, CEO of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, said despite 92% of Black women voting for Harris, she is now deeply worried about why no Black women are in the running to become the next chair of the Democratic National Committee. The committee is responsible for organizing and coordinating strategy for Democratic candidates to win local, state and national offices.

"That is one of the things that I see that we have to address and that is how we deal with our money, how we put our money in and make demands because we do write checks," Campbell noted. "And the other has to do with how we find ways to fund our politics."

Campbell pointed out exit polling showed more than 50% of white women voters supported Trump. She added it raises the question of who is a true ally of Black women's interests.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Next month, newly elected candidates for many levels of government will be sworn in.

In North Dakota, civic engagement leaders hope there is a willingness to hear from the public and bolster voter turnout in future elections. Data from the Secretary of State show North Dakota had a voter turnout of 62% for the 2024 election, which is on par with 2020 but not as consistent with higher totals seen in the 1980s and '90s

Barbara Headrick, president of the League of Women Voters of North Dakota, said she is disappointed neighboring states such as Minnesota outperform in turnout. She feels North Dakota has suffered too much from races not being competitive enough.

"When there's not a contest to get people excited about, it's more likely that people will stay away," Headrick pointed out.

Republicans in North Dakota have maintained control over the Legislature and statewide offices. Headrick noted the League, which is nonpartisan, wants all parties to energize voters but she urged Democrats to broaden their appeal with the idea of creating more interest come election time. She also called on those in power to govern in a way to keep the entire electorate engaged and not just a party's base.

Headrick warned when voters become used to choosing one party to control an entire state, it eventually creates a recipe for bad governing overall.

"No matter how much the people who run for office are sincerely wanting to do what they think is best, all they're hearing is their own voices," Headrick contended.

Headrick argued a one-party scenario does not lead to meaningful policy debate, while also opening the door to issues such as corruption. Political experts said candidates often take their cues from voters but Headrick feels there are many people who do not want divisiveness and prefer compromise. She urged those individuals to speak up at public hearings and take advantage of other options to be engaged.


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