No party affiliation required on initiative

Lucky for us, a team of 107 unpaid Bonner County citizens has collected 2,569 signatures for the Open Primary Initiative. Boundary County's 16 volunteers have collected 434. Each signature will be individually verified by the Bonner and Boundary Elections offices. We don't have to spend anything like the $800,000 said by some experts to be “all” that is necessary for paid signature collectors. Signature gatherers throughout Idaho are volunteering to do this for free.

Moreover, if signatures were collected by paid workers, it would not be a citizens initiative, it would be a whoever-has-or-can-raise-$800,000 initiative.

Our legislators in Boise should be supported by more voters. Presto. The Open Primary Initiative guarantees that the winner of local and state elections has that broader support. After the initiative passes, everyone will vote in a single primary — including about 275,000 independent voters — that's 30% of voters in Idaho.

How would you like to see more than one Republican on the ballot in the general election?

Sign the petition at La Chic Boutique, 107 Main St. in Sandpoint, to put the initiative on the ballot this November, so we can find out whether voters want it. Then vote for it this November.

No party affiliation required.

NANCY GERTH

Sagle