Today is National Voter Registration Day! Check or update your status now — you’ll need to, not only to vote in the Nov. 7 election, but also if you want to sign a ballot initiative.
Idahoans could get a chance to pass a couple of ballot initiatives — laws created and made official by voters — in November 2024. But before then, the groups behind each initiative must gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.
That benchmark is six percent of registered voters at the time of the last general election, which equates to 62,895 signatures that must be on the initiative by May 1, 2024.
🌿 Medical Marijuana Initiative
Idaho is just one of five states where all medical marijuana use is criminalized. Kind Idaho is seeking to change that with the Idaho Medical Marijuana Act, which is tailored to medical use exclusively, and only for those above 21-years-old.
A survey conducted last fall showed that 68% of Idahoans want medical marijuana to be legalized; 48% support the legalization of recreational marijuana; 42% say that there shouldn’t be any penalty for marijuana possession, and only 11% support jail time for marijuana possession.
These stats could help explain why Kind Idaho reported that they gathered 1,000 signatures in a single day at last weekend’s Hyde Park Street Fair.
Hear from one of Kind Idaho’s organizers on City Cast Boise, and learn more about the medical marijuana petition.
🏁 Open Primaries Initiative
Gathering signatures, sparring with the state attorney general, and building public support for a somewhat technical electoral change isn’t easy — but this isn’t the first circus for a lot of folks behind the coalition Idahoans for Open Primaries.
Last week, former Gov. Butch Otter endorsed the movement for an open primary election in Idaho, adding to the ranks of Republican officials in support of closing the GOP primaries.
If you want to sign the petition or learn more, dig in!
