Idaho GOP official protests closed primary - Thu, 06 Sep 2012 PST

September 6, 2012 in Idaho

Committeeman declares he is??unaffiliated?

Associated Press

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BOISE ? Idaho?s closed Republican primary drew more criticism after an Elmore County GOP official east of Boise withdrew his party affiliation ? just hours after winning his second term as a Republican precinct?committeeman.

The Idaho Statesman reported Geoff Schroeder made the move to have himself declared ?unaffiliated? following the May 15 election to protest the new law that allows only registered Republicans to vote in the party?s?primaries.

He?s among party members including Gov. Butch Otter who have concluded the closed primary alienates voters because it makes their choice of ballot a matter of public record and compromises their?privacy.

The GOP is ?leering over ? a list of who is and who isn?t declared as a Republican, a creepy aspect of government that is done by people like Saddam Hussein and Adolf Hitler,? Schroeder said. ?I?m not going to be a part of?it.?

Schroeder, whose automobile sports an ?Atheist? personalized license plate, disagrees with the move by Idaho?s majority party two years ago to sue the state to force the closed?primary.

The 2011 Idaho Legislature adopted the closed primary after a federal judge sided with closure proponents who wanted to limit election participation and prevent crossover voting by independents and Democrats. Closed-primary advocates feared the open primary was skewing elections toward GOP candidates less loyal to Republican?principles.

Idaho now is among 20 states that have closed?primaries.

After Schroeder stepped out of the party following his election, some Elmore County GOP members wanted to remove him from his precinct post at a meeting on Aug. 23, according to footage of a video recording taken by one of Schroeder?s friends who accompanied him to the?meeting.

As Schroeder looked on while wearing a ?Darwin? T-shirt, GOP Chairman Barry Peterson ? a former Elmore County chairman before his election to the top state office in June ? urged colleagues to oust?him.

?He?s chosen by his own actions which way he wants to go,? Peterson told the Elmore GOP Central Committee, according to the footage. ?Let him?go.?

Schroeder survived, however, after pulling out a letter from Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden indicating the party had no power to boot?him.

?There?s nothing that we can do,? said Elmore County Committeewoman Courtney Ireland. ?This is exactly what he wanted to do: get people in an?uproar.?

The county GOP did censure him for ?behavior unbecoming? of a party?member.

Schroeder, a 22-year Idaho Army National Guard soldier who served in Iraq, is satisfied that his protest drew attention to the closed-primary?issue.

?It?s made me very passionate about voting,? Schroeder?said.

? Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/sep/06/idaho-gop-official-protests-closed-primary/

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