Reclaim Idaho Files Lawsuit Against New Initiative Law, Launches New Education Initiatve
By Greg Pruett • May 8, 2021Last month Governor Brad Little signed SB 1110 which made it so ballot initiative signatures had to be gathered from all 35 legislative districts.
The bill had an emergency clause which meant that it took an immediate effect. Several groups fought against the bill, including Reclaim Idaho (Reclaim).
Reclaim has now filed a lawsuit to try and stop the new law and has also launched a new ballot initiative in addition to the one they have already launched.
On Twitter, the group posted an image showing that they had filed a lawsuit to stop the law. Here is a screenshot of their post (story continues below):
The group has said in recent weeks that the new law makes ballot initiatives nearly impossible and promised to challenge the law in court if Little signed the bill.
Luke Mayville, the co-founder of Reclaim Idaho posted the following Tweet after the group launched the initiative:
Proponents of SB 1110 said that the goal of the bill was to ensure that rural voters had a voice in the ballot initiative process. During committee debate on SB 1110, Senator Steve Vick (R-Dalton Gardens) had told the Senate State Affairs Committee:
I grew up in a rural area in Montana and it seems clear to me that as the population of Idaho continues to grow and concentrate in the urban areas that those areas are gonna end up making many decisions and I think that the wisdom of having a broad support for an initiative is worthwhile and that we don’t forget those people who don’t live in the population centers.
Sen. Christy Zito (R-Hammett) told Idaho Dispatch about the initiative process in general,
We have seen the ballot initiative process used to take away freedoms in several other states such as California, Oregon, and Washington. The process is used often to go around representative government and often you will see groups pushing these initiatives never try to get involved in the legislative process. We do not live in a direct democracy and that is what many of the liberal groups enjoy about the ballot intiaitve process is that they do not have to go through the legislature.
Idahoans need to make sure the same thing that has happened in these other states doesn’t get out of control here too. SB 1110 helps ensure more equal representation across the state of Idaho.
Rep. Tammy Nichols (R-Middleton) also told Idaho Dispatch,
Senate Bill 1110 changed the signature requirement for voter initiative petitions making it more equitable for all persons in Idaho to have a voice as some demographics were left out of the previous process. However, the initiative itself is problematic to our republic as it undermines the legislative branch by taking away control delegated to them (although some seem to be okay with that).
Unfortunately, the initiative process was introduced later in our Idaho constitution as a way to dismantle the republic, by marble cake federalists, but at least this change gives more equal representation.
A handful of Republicans in the House and Senate, plus all Democrats, voted against SB 1110.
Recently, Reclaim also launched a new ballot initiative to change the requirements for the process back to what it used to be in 2012. Under the 2012 ballot initiative requirements, signatures had to be gathered from 6% of registered voters.
Under the 2012 requirements, the signatures were gathered from anywhere in the state and there were no district requirements. Before the passage of SB 1110, signatures had to be gathered from at least 18 legislative districts.
In addition to the ballot initiative, Reclaim has also launched an education-based ballot initiative.
The initiative seeks to raise $200 million for K-12 education funding by raising taxes on corporations and the “wealthiest Idahoans” according to Reclaim.
What do you think of Reclaim’s lawsuit? Do you support or oppose it?
Let us know in the comments below.
Tags: Brad Little, Christy Zito, Luke Mayveille, Reclaim Idaho, SB 1110, Steve Vick, Tammy Nichols
9 thoughts on “Reclaim Idaho Files Lawsuit Against New Initiative Law, Launches New Education Initiatve”
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Rural Idaho Needs A Voice……Reclaim and it’s affiliated minions should drop their lawsuit and move to California. That way all could be happy.
Don’t Californicate Idaho! I moved to California years ago in order to work. I watched as the initiative process undermined society and common sense was thrown out the window. Then Oregon and Washington went the same way. Upon retiring I move here to Idaho, a state pioneered by my direct family, in order to get away from the direct democracy of California. Once the democrats/marxists start getting their way in setting new laws by going around the legislature and the people themselves in order to get initiatives on the ballot the process becomes one of cat and mouse. Initiatives are placed onto the ballot during low turnout years and only a minority vote to pass these initiates. Then the advocates go to overwhelming the ballots with multiple initiatives, which turn the voter off due to voter fatigue an also pass with low numbers. Mislabeling many initiatives in order to trick the potential voter also takes place. This is used to make the voter unaware of the true purpose of the initiative. In all actuality, the entire voter initiative process needs to be dismantled and removed from the Idaho process.
Screw you Reclaim. Bill
Will remain strong. Libtards will
Always try to stop a good thing.
DON’T CALIFUCKYA IDAHO!!!!!
They sound like Congress, more $$$, tax corporate, tax the wealthy. Guess they have not heard of the trickledown theory, it always hurts the middle class.
Not even close Maureen….it has nothing to do with taxes wealth or the middle class. It does certainly have to do with rural areas having a voice and we need that.
Glad 1110 passed.
Now can you keep campaign promises to change PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION to keep up with inflation and exorbitant housing prices from $100k to $250k?
My property tax has skyrocket from $1200. To $3600 in three years. But hourly wages are still under $12.00 per hour.
If politicians don’t help with property tax relief why would the workers go back to work. They still can’t afford their property taxes!‽
Patriots Protest by not excepting LOW wages with businesses that won’t keep up with inflation. Unite Patriots. Bye-Done wants 74,000 Patriots to work for Unions, well it looks like they are unified, alright.
I have to come down on the anti-initiative argument. Having grown up in California I witnessed the harm ultimately brought to the state and it’s citizens. The initiative process provides access to a states electoral process to “out or state” bad actors to place initiatives on the ballot in off year elections when they have a better chance of passage. The MJ legalization crowd used the initiative process to place seemingly harmless bills of n the ballot knowing that most people were not paying attention.
More than anything else the initiative process strips a state of its 10th amendment protections against those who want to harm the USA and get laws on the books tha may never be removed.
The ballot initiative is used as an end around way of getting measures in the ballot that most people would oppose. It is so important that Idaho voters pay attention to state elections and vote to protect our values and history.
The initiative process ruined the once great state on California and the people who promote would do the same to Idaho. Preserve your way of life and freedoms in Idaho OPPOSE any initiative legislation that is presented.
Steve Madden
District 19
Boise
Reclaim Idaho? For who? It should really be named Reimagine Idaho. It’s pretty obvious what Luke Mayville and his minions are up to. Reimagine Idaho does like representative government and uses the ballot initiative process to disenfranchise voters who would not otherwise support their causes.
Why is a bad idea to have input from all 35 legislative districts to get something on the state wide ballot? Answer: It’s not.
Personally, I don’t want groups operating in the population centers of ADA and Canyon counties making decisions for the whole rest of the state. I don’t care who they are or what their cause is. Cherry picking the population for petition signatures is lazy and dishonest.
I like that SB1110 makes it more difficult to get an initiative on the ballot. It should be difficult to get an initiative on the ballot. If a group wants to have the citizens vote for some idea they should have to work hard and sell their idea to the public. Not just canvas the cities and neighborhoods where they know people are sympathetic to their cause. If your ideas are so wonderful and should have the support of the people than prove it.