2024 Idaho GOP Resolutions
What is the sense of the party?
The 2024 Idaho GOP State Convention passed a series of resolutions in Coeur d’Alene last week. Unlike the platform, which is used as a guide for party officers and legislators, resolutions simply express the feeling or desires of the party as a whole. Resolutions can be directed at the Legislature, Congress, or the party itself.
The Resolutions Committee, chaired by former and future state senator Christy Zito, evaluated 22 proposed resolutions and forwarded 14 to the convention as a whole. The convention adopted those 14 with minimal debate on Saturday afternoon, as everyone was eager to move on to officer elections.
You can read the full text of the resolutions below, save 2024-3 which was mistakenly left out and sent to delegates separately. The full report will be on the Idaho GOP website soon.
2024-1
This resolution crafted by Branden Durst and presented by Benjamin Chafetz instructs the party to file a lawsuit against the State of Idaho in federal court to enforce party rules against crossover voting. Durst has been relentlessly pursuing a solution to Democrats who affiliate as Republicans so as to meddle in our primaries for a long time. Earlier this year, Secretary of State Phil McGrane informed Idaho GOP chair Dorothy Moon that state law does not allow him to restrict such crossovers prior to the filing deadline. Party rules do not allow members of other parties to vote in the GOP primary unless they changed their affiliation prior to December 30 of the prior year, but McGrane said that state law supersedes those rules.
Is a federal lawsuit the best way to resolve this issue? As I’ve written before, the parties have become very entwined with the government, and since our primaries are funded by taxpayers it makes it hard to maintain that the party is an entirely private organization. We need to figure out a way to disentangle them, but I wonder if legislation would be a smoother route than a federal lawsuit. Stay tuned.
2024-2
Durst was also the architect of this resolution, instructing the chair to distribute the new platform to all Republican candidates for elected office and requesting each one to resubmit their integrity in affiliation forms, noting if and where they disagree with the platform.
This seems reasonable, as candidates are already asked to sign the form during the primary campaign. The party then publicizes who signed and who did not. I know some Republicans find this idea distasteful, but there’s nothing wrong with informing voters where you agree or disagree with the platform. Not everyone will agree 100%, and that’s fine, but voters should have that information.
2024-3
This is yet another Durst resolution. 2024-3 instructs the chair to appoint a committee to examine how other state parties pay their own chairs and then craft a rule establishing a salary for that position. I actually think this is a good idea. The office of state chair is more than a full time job — Dorothy Moon works harder and for longer hours than anyone I know on a completely volunteer basis. A salary would help pay for that time and also open the position to people who might otherwise be barred from serving due to a need to provide for their families. One of the jobs of the state chair is to raise money for the party, so a salary would be directly related to his or her effort in that area.
2024-4
This resolution instructs the chair to put together a committee to examine potential alternatives to the primary for statewide races. With the jungle primary / ranked choice voting initiative likely on the ballot this November, the Idaho GOP might need to consider new ideas for how to nominate statewide candidates. Some states have caucuses while others use conventions for that purpose. It’s worth exploring, though I personally don’t have an opinion as yet.
2024-6
The Idaho GOP passes a resolution every two years expressing support for the nation of Israel. This is obviously a very controversial issue with a lot of passionate feelings involved. Many Republicans believe it is their duty as Christians to support Israel unequivocally, while others are concerned about any such statement of support for a foreign nation. Some do not agree with Israel at all, especially in the light of the current war in Gaza.
A separate proposal to add support for Israel into the platform failed, and I am grateful for that. Such a divisive issue, one in which many good people have significant disagreements, should not become a metric to decide who in Idaho is truly Republican.
2024-7
This resolution calls on Republicans to condemn the screening of questions at public forms. As someone who has moderated such forums in the past, I understand why it happens, but moderators should definitely make every effort to include all audience questions.
2024-8
This resolution says that only citizens should vote. Several cities throughout the nation are allowing noncitizens to vote in certain elections, so this lays out the Idaho GOP’s stance on such things. A constitutional amendment regarding this issue will be on the November ballot.
2024-10
This resolution calls for Election Day to be a one day event, not several weeks of early voting as well as mail-in voting. Sounds good to me.
2024-11
This one only passed by one vote in committee. It calls upon the Legislature to take steps to protect our electrical grid from cyberattacks as well as physical attacks. Another perfectly reasonable statement.
2024-12
This resolution looks to reform the way in which Idaho judges are elected. Currently, they are supposed to be elected by the people, but what usually happens is that judges retire prior to the end of their terms and successors are appointed by the governor from a list of candidates submitted by the Idaho Judicial Council. They then appear uncontested on the next ballot.
By adopting this particular resolution, the Idaho GOP calls upon the Legislature to change this process to one in which the Legislature itself elects judges to fill vacancies. It’s an interesting idea that merits more examination.
2024-13
Sen. Tammy Nichols presented this resolution calling on our government to safeguard the rights of Idahoans from infringement by international organizations such as the World Economic Forum. Leftists like to dismiss these kind of resolutions as silly, but consider how many regulations imposed upon the American people by unelected bureaucrats during the Covid lockdowns had their genesis in agencies such as the World Health Organization. Legislation needs to be accessible and accountable, not conducted by supranational bodies that are fully removed from the people.
Nichols explained her resolution on her Substack today and said she will be proposing similar legislation in the next session.
2024-15
This resolution calls upon government to review all budgets to ensure that every taxpayer dollar our government spends is for a constitutionally mandated function. While this should have included functions that are mandates by statute, it’s a good start. Alex Adams is working on just such a review at the Dept. of Health and Welfare.
2024-16
Last year, an optical scanner in the Canyon County Clerk’s office mistakenly read a photocopied sample ballot. While I believe the issue has been since resolved, this resolution calls upon the Legislature to investigate that issue as well as any other counties that use optical scanners.
2024-19
This resolution concerns “glamping” on public lands in southeast Idaho. Apparently it’s causing concerns with residents. The resolution says the Idaho GOP opposes such activities and calls upon the Idaho Dept. of Lands to develop rules and regulations regarding so-called “glamping”.
What does it all mean?
Except for the resolutions instructing the party or the chair to take specific actions, resolutions are just words. They only become meaningful if activists and legislators take them to the next level. Last January, Lynn Bradescu of Boise proposed a resolution at the Winter Meeting of the State Central Committee opposing Boise’s ordinance requiring landlords to accept Section 8 vouchers and other government subsidies. Once passed, Bradescu collaborated with Republican legislators to craft a bill, which they then carried through both chambers. House Bill 545 was signed by the governor earlier this year. This demonstrates the power of a party resolution, but it requires dedication and hard work from those who wrote it, rather than simply passing it and forgetting about it a week later.
I look forward to seeing (and perhaps crafting) resolutions for the 2025 Winter Meeting next January on the eve of the next legislative session. That is where we might be able to start the ball rolling on positive legislation for the people of Idaho.