Some thoughts:
I was amazed just how easy it was here. I mailed in a request for registration. I got a phone call from the local county voter registration ofice asking for my SSN to verify my driver's license #. Showed up at my local polling place, showed my ID [military, etc] and signed in. Was given a couple of paper ballots that I too to my little cardboard cube, filled out and slipped in the sealed ballot box. And that was it. In and out time about 5 minutes not counting a bit of chatting. If I hadn't been able to pre-reg like I did, I could have signed an 'Personal Identification Affidavit' stating I'm really who I say I am and I live in Idaho at the time of the elections.
They are trying to make voting as easy and as accessable as possible here. Idahoans take their civil liberties *very* seriously. Which, in my opinion, is good.
Other than the indivudual positions: govenor, senator, etc., there were only four seperate issues. That really facinated me as they were so simple and basic, compaired to wsome of the resolutions I've seem trying to be passed in WA. Reader's Digest veions are as follows.
SJR-101: Should the Board of Regents of the University of Idaho be able to charge students tuition. The U of I was created before Idaho statehood and was set up to provide free education. Right now, the U of I charges no tutition, only student fees. Student fees cannot be used to pay for classroom instruction. All of the other state-supported colleges and universities in Idaho have the authority to charge tuition, and this amendment specifies that the University of Idaho will have the same authority.
HJR-4: This proposed amendment will allow public hospitals to acquire facilities, equipment, technology and real property through a variety of means that aid the public hospital operations, as long as the acquisitions are paid for solely from charges, rents or payments derived from the existing or financed facilities and are not funded by property taxes. Under current Idaho constitutional provisions, public hospitals, as subdivisions of the state of Idaho, have limited ability to incur debt without the approval of a two-thirds vote at an election held for that purpose. This proposed amendment will provide a limited alternative to that two-thirds vote requirement. The use of tax dollars to finance these kinds of investments is prohibited.
HJR-5: Currently, local governmental entities that operate airports and regional airport authorities cannot incur indebtedness without the approval of a two-thirds vote at an election held for that purpose. This
proposed amendment will allow local governmental entities that operate airports and regional airport authorities to issue revenue and special facility bonds to acquire, construct, install and equip land,
facilities, buildings, projects or other property. Voter approval will not be required to incur such indebtedness, as long as the bonds are paid for by fees, charges, rents, payments, grants or other
revenues derived from the airport or its facilities. The use of tax dollars to repay such bonds is prohibited.
HJR-7: Two Parts - This proposed amendment has two parts. The first part will allow any city owning a municipal electric system to acquire, construct, install and equip electrical generating, transmission and distribution facilities for the purpose of supplying electricity to customers within its service area. The city will be authorized to issue revenue bonds to pay for such facilities, with the assent of a majority of the qualified voters, provided that these bonds are paid for by the electrical system rates and charges, or revenues derived from the municipal electric system, and not with tax dollars.
The second part of this proposed amendment will allow any city owning a municipal electric system to enter into agreements to purchase, share, exchange or transmit wholesale electricity to customers
within its service area, without voter approval. Any indebtedness or liability from these agreements will be paid for by the electrical system rates and charges, or revenues derived from the municipal
electric system, and not with tax dollars.
It's going to be interesting to see what all happens. There are basically four major parties officially registered here in the state: Republican, Democrat, Constitutinal and Libertarian. But if you want to consider the split off in the Republicans by the Tea Party Movement, it really makes 5. This is a pretty heavy conservbitive Republicain state. I mean *Really* conservitive Republican. A lot of the incumbants for the 'lesser offices' like Coroner, etc. are Republicans running unopposed. There are several candidates I totally disagree with and for those out there who know me, you know that they are, most likely, Republicans.
As I said, we'll see what happens.
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