News reporters will not be allowed into the Idaho Republican presidential convention on March 2 or allowed to observe party officials tabulating results at party headquarters, raising concerns among some transparency advocates.
Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon and Executive Director Kiira Turnbow told the Idaho Capital Sun that under the Idaho Republican Party's convention rules, only registered Republicans and their minor children can attend. said. The Idaho Republican Party is using 210 convention locations during its March 2 presidential candidate convention.
Some caucus meetings are held on private property, such as churches.
But dozens of caucus locations are in public buildings, including public schools paid for by Idaho taxpayers.
Additionally, Idaho Republican Party officials plan to close the state party headquarters in downtown Boise while they tabulate convened results from each of the 210 convention sites. News reporters would not be allowed inside during that time, but could wait outside party headquarters, Turnbow and Moon said. Once the results are tabulated, Idaho Republican Party officials plan to visit the Boise headquarters to publicly announce the convention results and post the results on the Idaho Republican Party website, Turnbow said.
“For caucus locations, Idaho Republican Caucus rules only allow registered Republican voters and their minor children to enter caucus locations,” Turnbow said.
Turnbow said this means reporters will not be able to enter the convention site. In response to questions from the Sun, Turnbow said the rules would apply equally to all news reporters and that national outlets like Fox News and the Wall Street Journal would also be barred from entering caucus sites and prohibited from observing vote counting inside Republican headquarters. .
Blocking reporters from the presidential convention raises transparency issues.
David Adler, a political scientist who taught U.S. constitutional law and government at a public university in Idaho, currently serves as president of the nonprofit Alturas Institute. The Idaho Republican Party's decision to bar news reporters from accessing its presidential convention is shocking and anti-democratic policy that “promotes secrecy over transparency.”
“As the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled, the Freedom of the Press Clause recognizes the important role the press plays in American society, politics and elections,” Adler said in a written message to the Sun. “Media coverage of caucuses and official vote tallies informs the public, reassures citizens about the legitimacy and fairness of the caucus process, and confirms voting results with party representatives.”
Adler added, “Chairman Moon’s decision to block media access to the presidential convention and official vote counting betrays the presumption of openness inherent in our democracy.” “I do not understand President Moon’s penchant for secrecy, and I question the Republican Party’s argument for free, fair, and transparent elections.”
Betsy Russell, president of Idahoans for Openness in Government, urged Idaho Republican leaders to reverse their decision before the presidential convention.
“It would be outrageous and extremely inappropriate for our state’s largest political party to exclude a free press from the process of selecting candidates for our nation’s highest office,” Russell said in a written statement. “We all know that transparency builds trust, and secrecy breeds suspicion. Electing our leaders is a public matter in this country, not something that should be done in secret. This announcement from the Idaho Republican Party prompts the question: What are they trying to hide? We sincerely hope that this decision will be reconsidered and that a free press will observe the process and report to the public so that citizens can know that the process is progressing as promised. “In a situation where suspicions about public institutions are soaring and conspiracy theories are rampant, it is absurd that a major political party is trying to destroy public trust by carrying out such an important process in secret.”
Idaho Press Club President Melissa Davlin also raised concerns about excluding reporters from the convention.
“For years, Republican candidates have raised questions about their integrity when it comes to nominations and elections. Now the Idaho Republican Party has decided to exclude journalists from this high-profile event,” Davlin said in a statement to the Sun. “Transparency benefits everyone, from the citizens of Idaho to the party officials responsible for running local caucuses. “Voters across the country will look to Idaho on March 2, and it’s disappointing that the Idaho Republican Party is making it more difficult to provide information to the public.”
Jaclyn Kettler, a political scientist at Boise State University, said news reporters are generally allowed to cover caucus meetings. This refers, for example, to public coverage of the Iowa caucuses. But Kettler said the issue of media coverage fits into a broader discussion in which political parties are discussing how to organize themselves, make decisions behind closed doors and exclude people who are not members of the party.
“These (political parties) are semi-private organizations, but they participate in public functions,” Kettler said in a phone interview. “But who can make that call when you’re in the public domain?”
Kettler said the issue of media coverage was raised at the recent Nevada caucuses. The Reno Gazette Journal reported Feb. 7 that Washoe County School Board policy prevents local Republicans from banning the public or media from attending the Republican National Convention at 16 public schools that were used as Nevada convention sites.
Idaho Republicans run, pay for, and organize the Idaho convention themselves, rather than through the Idaho Secretary of State's office or county clerks.
The Republican Party has also set its own rules for its caucuses, including prohibiting anyone other than registered Republican voters, candidates or agents from entering caucus venues. In his Sun interview, Moon said he was merely enforcing the party's rules.
On the other hand, in state elections and primaries, news reporters are allowed into polling places. Many Idaho news reporters maintain direct contact with state and county election officials across the state on Election Day. And news reporters can also observe the Idaho State Board of Polls certifying official election results.
During a breakfast meeting with reporters in Boise on Tuesday, Gov. Brad Little said he plans to attend the Idaho Republican presidential convention near his home in Emmett. When asked, Little said he was unaware that news reporters were prohibited from entering and observing the convention.
“I didn’t know; so that’s news to me,” Little said. “I’m kind of a transparent person.”
Why is Idaho switching to a presidential nominating convention this year?
There is a new caucus this year. Idaho Republicans have not participated in a convention since 2012, and Idaho Democrats have not participated in a convention since 2016.
Idaho voters are voting in a presidential convention instead of a primary election. This is because it appears that the Idaho Legislature unintentionally abolished the presidential primary election last year. The Idaho Legislature passed House Bill 138, which would move the presidential primary from March to May, when the rest of the state's primary elections are held. But House Bill 138 eliminated the presidential primary entirely, and lawmakers delayed it a year without passing a trailer bill designed to fix the problem and actually move the primary to May.
With no state-run presidential primary legally existing, the Idaho Republican Party voted last summer to hold a presidential nominating caucus on March 2.
Idaho Democrats also plan to hold a presidential convention this year, but their convention is not scheduled to take place until May 23.
More information about the Idaho Republican Presidential Caucus is available online.
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