State snafu delays initiative drive

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For now, Reclaim Idaho's Quality Education Act is on hold until next week.

The grassroots citizens group learned early Friday — just a day after it got the green light to begin collecting signatures with the aim of getting on the ballot — that the Idaho Secretary of State's office had neglected to give the group the financial impact statement.

Under a new law adopted by the Idaho Legislature, the statement is required to be included in any petition drive in order for the initiative to be considered valid.

"They did not communicate to us that that statement needed to be included with our initiative before we circulated for any signatures," Luke Mayville told the Daily Bee. "In fact, you know, they actually gave us the go ahead to start collecting signatures, even though that statement wasn't prepared yet by them."

Mayville said the group hopes to get the document from the Idaho Secretary of State sometime next week. Volunteers can then begin collecting signatures.

"It looks like early next week we'll get the official official go-ahead," he said. "So that's just a bit of frustration."

Fortunately the group hadn't planned to begin any signature collections until next week, in part because they hadn't expected to get approval from the state to begin the initiative drive until then anyway, Mayville said.

The ballot initiative, dubbed the Quality Education Act, would be paid for by a tax increase to corporations and Idahoans making over $250,000 per year, Reclaim Idaho officials said.

For individuals, the tax would apply to income above the $250,000 mark. Married couples would pay the new tax for income over $500,000.

A low-key effort had been planned while Reclaim Idaho waits for the Idaho Supreme Court to hear the group's lawsuit over the state's new initiative law. Under the law, initiatives require signatures of 6% of registered voters in all 35 legislative districts instead of the previously required 18.

While supporters contend the law boosts rural participation, critics say it makes Idaho's initiative requirements among the most restrictive in the country and would make it nearly impossible to pass a grassroots campaign.

"It will be extremely challenging to meet the 35 district requirement," Mayville said. "In fact, we think it will be virtually impossible without spending large amounts of money to do it."

Until there is clarity from the Idaho Supreme Court, Mayville said they are encouraging volunteers to get involved and get ready.

If the court rules for Reclaim Idaho, Mayville said the group will ramp up its signature drive for the education initiative into high gear. If it rules in favor of the new law, the proposed act would be put on hold and Reclaim Idaho would pivot to a second initiative dubbed the Initiative Rights Act to restore the initiative process to what was in place before the Idaho Legislature approved the new law.

"From what we've seen so far, if there's one initiative that would enable us to, to meet that [35 district] barrier, to surpass that barrier, it would be the Initiative Rights Act," Mayville said. "Because one, we're seeing that people are really fired up about that issue and they're angry about that new law — all across the political spectrum."

In talking to different groups across the state, Mayville said there is widespread support to keep the initiative process as it was and not make it harder. He also anticipates the measure would get strong financial support as well.

"In the event that we have to put forward an initiative to restore the process, we want to be able to do whatever it takes to get that on the ballot, because there's so much at stake," he said. "It's not an ordinary initiative. It's an initiative to save the process itself so that future generations can continue to enjoy that same right that Idahoans have had for over 100 years."