Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) signed a bill Saturday that would make it harder for voters to get involved in voting.
Little signed Senate Bill 110 Saturday, which states that signatures of six percent of voters in the state’s 35 legislative districts are needed to get an initiative in the vote.
Before the law was signed, six percent of voters in at least 18 legislative districts were needed.
The measure went into effect immediately after Little’s signing.
In a letter of transmission explaining his decision to sign, Little explained that “Idaho has a strong interest in ensuring that our ballots are not saturated with initiatives that have not shown sufficient base support.”
“Senate Bill 110 has a laudable goal of ensuring that initiatives have a minimum level of support throughout Idaho before they are put on the ballot,” he wrote.
He noted that state and federal courts may have to decide whether the bill is constitutional. However, he said there is “good cause” for believing that the “neutral regulations of this bill are constitutionally admissible.”
“I appreciate the signing of this bill being controversial,” Little wrote. “Very few issues provoke such strong feelings on both sides of the debate.”
Opponents of the move were concerned that the bill would make it virtually impossible to get measures on the ballot, The Associated Press reported. Some see it as an attempt to stop some left-leaning causes from occurring in Idaho, such as medical marijuana.
Idaho Reclaim Base Group he said in a statement who filed a lawsuit for the bill, arguing that it violates the state constitution.
There are several GOP-led states, including Arizona and South Dakota considering similar legislation that increases voting requirements after progressives achieve some victories during the 2020 elections.