Idaho Senator's Bill Would Make Ballot Initiatives Tougher
BOISE, Idaho (AP) An Idaho lawmaker has introduced legislation that would ask voters to change the states constitution to make it harder to get initiatives on the ballot.
Republican Sen. Doug Okuniewicz introduced the joint resolution Wednesday in the Senate State Affairs Committee. If approved, it would ask voters to change the Idaho Constitution so that lawmakers could reenact tougher ballot initiative rules that were thrown out by the Idaho Supreme Court in 2021.
Two years ago, we passed a law that was Senate Bill 1110, passed it overwhelmingly, Okuniewicz, of Hayden, told the committee. And the Supreme Court overturned it largely because ... they felt the Legislature was not in a position to impose that change on the people.
If voters approve the change to the Idaho Constitution, that should inoculate it from any legal trouble, Okuniewicz told the committee.
The tougher ballot initiative rules would require signature gatherers to get 6% of voters in each of Idahos 35 legislative districts within a short timespan. The current law requires signatures from 6% of registered voters in 18 of the states 35 districts for an initiative to get on the ballot.
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