Changing Idaho Elections
Several activists groups have banded together and seek to bring an initiative on the 2024 ballot that would change the nature of Idaho elections. There are two main items sought: require open primaries and implement Ranked Choice Voting (RCV).
As of now, statute affords each political party the right to determine if they want open or closed primaries. A closed primary means only members of the party can vote on that party’s primary ballot. Proponents of the initiative point out that Republicans dominate statewide offices and that all voters should therefore have a say in who the party nominates for the general election.
RCV is a newer form of determining an election outcome in situations where no candidate gets more than 50% in races with three or more people. It uses additional rounds of voting where candidates with the fewest votes are dropped and their votes reassigned to remaining candidates until someone passes the 50% threshold. The mechanism has been quite controversial and a bill banning RCV was passed into law this last legislative session in Idaho.
Seditious Conspiracy Convictions
On Thursday, four members of the Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy for their roles on January 6th at the US Capitol. They each could face up to 20 years in prison. The convictions will likely impact on-going investigations of former President Donald Trump.
Critics point to the politicization of the event, and among other complaints, that nobody has been convicted of sedition since its creation shortly after the civil war.
Americans appear to be divided on the issue as recent Rasmussen polling (after the release of videos through Tucker Carlson) shows a majority believe undercover government agents provoked the riots.
Godfather of AI Resigns, Warns of Risks
Geoffrey Hinton, whose work was instrumental with the creation of ChatGPT, resigned from his position with Google and shared his concerns about the technology.
“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us,” he said in an interview with MIT Technology Review. “I think they’re very close to it now and they will be much more intelligent than us in the future…. How do we survive that?”
Hinton also likened Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the nuclear arms race. The US, China, Russia or any nation-state could use AI for strategic military advantage.
Idaho Justice Stegner Retires
Citing long hours and pay that is not commensurate with a private law practice, Justice Stegner announced his retirement on Tuesday. The effective date will be Oct 31st of this year.
Governor Little will appoint a replacement from a list provided by the Idaho Judicial Council and that appointee will finish Justice Stegner’s term which expires in January of 2027.
Good Credit, Pay More?
34 State Financial Officers, including Idaho State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth, signed a letter to Joe Biden protesting a new policy that raises mortgage costs on those with good credit but not on those with poor credit.