It turns out that the Veteran seen in the Idahoans for Open Primaries ad pushing the lie that Idahoans are “blocked” from voting in the primary voted to close the Republican primary as a lawmaker in 2011.
You have probably seen the ad of Marv Hagedorn, who served in the Idaho House and eventually in the Idaho Senate before retiring to take a state job. Hagedorn lies to Idaho voters by telling them independent voters aren’t allowed to vote in the primary.
Of course, anyone can vote in the primary as long as they are a registered voter and meet the requirements the specific party has for voting in their primary. Republicans have chosen to close theirs (which was upheld in the courts) while Democrats keep their primary open, primarily because no one cares to vote in it.
But in a fit of irony, Hagedorn, then a Republican House member, voted with most of his colleagues to close off the Republican primary by passing House Bill 351.
What’s even more amusing is that Hagedorn’s ad says the primary was closed by “party insiders and special interests.” Um, you voted to close the primary, Hagedorn, so what does that make you?
The vote came because Democrats were interfering in the Republican primary. Republicans wanted to ensure the candidate representing their party was chosen by Republicans.
Prop 1 proponents are using blatant lies to tell you that the primary will be “restored” to what it was before Hagedorn himself voted to close it. Except, that’s not what will happen, and Hagedorn knows that.
Hagedorn and other has-been Republicans who used to lead Idaho’s political Republican establishment are trying to deceive Idaho voters, and they are being used by far left extremists to upend Idaho’s election system.
Oh, and by the way, former Republican Governor Butch Otter, the poster child for Prop 1, signed the legislation into law.
As a disabled vet, I am disgusted in the lies by this guy. NO ONE loses their right to vote and a yes on prop 1 bring communism and takes away freedom from our state. VOTE NO on Prop 1.