This news release just in from former Idaho State Senate Majority Leader Rod Beck:
(Links to the filed suit are below)
Grassroots GOP file suit to protect 1st Amendment right to free association by requiring party registration for Republican primaries
Contact: Rod Beck (208) 376-9797
(BOISE) July 11, 2007 – 71 members of the Idaho Republican Party, including a number of members of the Idaho Republican Party State Central Committee and Executive Committee filed suit in the U. S. Federal Court in Boise, Idaho to require the State of Idaho and its Chief Election Officer, Ben Ysursa, Idaho Secretary of State, to honor the Rule adopted by the Idaho Republican Party on June 2, 2007.
Idahoans are still entitled to the basic protections and rights offered by the U.S. Constitution 220 years ago, including the right of association under the First Amendment. It is our intent to ask the court to restore those rights so that Idaho Republicans may stand together and pick their own nominees for political office, just as Idaho Democrats are allowed to stand together and pick their nominee for U.S. president.
The complete documentation including the Complaint and other corresponding documents can be found on file with the U.S Federal Court in Boise, Idaho as Beck et al V. Ysursa Case number: 1:07-cv-229.
Here are the links to the Grassroots Idaho GOP Federal suit:
- Complaint
- Motion for Preliminary Injunction (Best, quick read for info)
- Memorandum in Support for Preliminary Injunction
- Affidavit of Rod Beck in Support of Motion
- Exhibit A — The Idaho Republican Party Platform
- Exhibit B — Idaho Republican Resolution passed June, 16, 2006
- Exhibit C — Bill Cope’s Boise Weekly article titled “Clown Control.”
- Exhibit D — Idaho Attorney General’s Opinion, March 1, 2007
- Request for Judicial Notice
July 11, 2007 at 5:35 pm |
[...] in primary elections. Rod Beck, former Idaho Senate Majority Leader, issued the announcement in a press release this [...]
July 11, 2007 at 6:00 pm |
[...] group led by former Senate Majority Leader Rod Beck is challenging Idaho’s open primary in court. It will be interesting to see what the State of Idaho and Secretary Ysura have to say in [...]
July 11, 2007 at 11:02 pm |
I assume that if the primary is closed the Idaho Republican Party will pick up the cost of the primay election. I don’t see why, as an independent, I can’t vote, why I should have to pay for the Republican’s to pick “thier” candidates
July 11, 2007 at 11:56 pm |
It appears that this new closed primary system will eliminate the ability for same day registration voters to cast a Republican ballot since the language clearly indicates they must have registered as a Republican prior to election day. This seems a step backwards for voter rights and participation. I know in our county, telling potential voters that they can still register and vote on election day is standard practice for many campaigns and candidates. I wonder why your party wanted to eliminate same day registration voters?
July 12, 2007 at 8:10 pm |
Grassroots? Heh.
I think somebody might do some good to let Grassroots Idaho GOP know exactly what the term Grassroots means. Or maybe we can all just keep it an inside joke amongst us dictionary reading folk. Of all things you’d think that they could something as sim…
July 12, 2007 at 9:38 pm |
[...] at Unequivocal Notion takes issue with the Grassroots Idaho GOP based on the Wikipedia definition of the word Grassroots: A grassroots political movement is one [...]
July 14, 2007 at 7:50 pm |
In response to Todd’s comment above: in 1995, a federal appeals court ruled that, when a state requires parties to nominate by primary, the state must pay the costs of those primaries.
Click on my name for good commentary on the Mississippi Democrats’ lawsuit against my state’s open primary law. The Idaho suit is also mentioned.
~~ Steve Rankin
Jackson, Mississippi
July 14, 2007 at 8:01 pm |
Clicking on my name in the comment above gets you to the correct website but not the correct thread.
The thread is http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/us_district_court_rules_mississippi_democratic_party_may_close_its_primary_/
July 14, 2007 at 11:55 pm |
Well that’s a relief, if the 4th Court ruled that way, it is a pretty good bet the 9th would rule the opposite. They seem to be out of step with the rest of the country on most things anyway.
July 15, 2007 at 12:00 am |
Sorry that’s 5th Circuit not 4th, my bad.
July 15, 2007 at 4:19 pm |
Todd: Actually, it was the 8th Circuit, since it was a case from Arkansas. The name of the case is Republican Party v. Faulkner County.
Speaking of the 9th Circuit: I understand they are reversed by the Supreme Court about 75 percent of the time.