ARCHIVE VERSION of May 2024 Primary Voting Guide. Tips for Idaho Voters, especially Conservative Voters. Updated frequently during election season. Links to May 2024 Primary Election Results.
Are you a conservative in a hurry? Don’t have the time or desire to dig into the candidates and the issues? Just want the bottom line of whom to vote for and how? Then this section is for you. Click the underlined links or download the PDF (sharable short link: https://tinyurl.com/4he9c5mc)
1. Register to vote Republican.
2. Find your precinct, congressional district, legislative district, county district, and polling location.
3. Find out what’s on the ballot (County Clerk’s office).
4. Pick your candidates.
5. VOTE!
Pick your candidates. The ConservativesOf voting guide offers excellent picks for Idaho federal, state, and many counties including Precinct Committeeman. We also like Stop Idaho RINOS guide. These are best of the bunch for those with no time to research.
Thanks for reading Big E’s Big Mouth Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
IDAHO VOTING GUIDE
Intro & Quick Index
“The truth is like a lion. You don't have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself.” – Saint Augustine
Why Did We Create This Guide?
Our state is under attack by those who want to turn it into a leftist paradise, as they have CA, WA, OR, CO, and so many other formerly conservatives states.
We were fooled before moving to Idaho by all the “R” designations in the state legislature, so surely many others have been as well. We hope this voting guide will help you see through the political fog of war.
We've been working on this guide since we arrived in Idaho late in 2021. At first, this guide was a personal project to help us figure out how voting works. But over the years, we expanded its content and scope and now offer this guide to anyone who truly cares about voting with as much knowledge and integrity as possible.
🗽 Our goal is to help others learn about the available tools, resources, people, and decisions needed to Keep Idaho IDAHO and America AMERICA — with liberty and justice for all!
We hope you find this Idaho Voting Guide useful and will share it widely.
Thank you from BigE’s Bigmouth Substack
🔖 KEY ELECTION DATES: 2024 Primary: Tuesday, May 21 2024 General: Tuesday, November 5
✅ PRIMARIES! Primaries matter most in Idaho. Please don’t sit out the primaries unless you want to move to the socialist states of California, Oregon, and Washington without hiring a van!
🤥 LIES & MORE! As the primary and general elections approach, you will be subjected to lies, misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation from traditional media, social media, radio and TV news and ads, slanted flyers, campaign signs, government “official sources,” special interests, and even friends and family. Look carefully at who paid for the ads and flyers!
🧠 RESEARCH & THINK FOR YOURSELF! Use your own independent thinking skills. Research widely. Get to know candidates in person. DO NOT BE LAZY. DO NOT rely on out-of-context snippets. And DO check out this voting guide for tips on immunizing your brain against washing.
🔖VOTEIDAHO.GOV - A Great Resource for All Things “Vote Idaho”. VoteIdaho (https://voteidaho.gov/) is the official Idaho Secretary of State voter information website. The website was revamped, making it easier to stay informed and find important election information. Key features website include user friendly interface, comprehensive election information, voter resources, and optimization for mobile devices.
Disclaimer #2: We have done our best to ensure accuracy of links provided (please let us know if you find any errors). Specific candidate recommendations are personal opinions. Personal opinions are like, well, you know. Recommended candidates in this Guide are personally known or carefully observed by the author unless otherwise noted. You can find official voter guides linked in Part 3 below.
We all must engage in the election process — PRIMARY elections matter most in Idaho — before it’s too late.
Get to know your candidates IN PERSON. Call or text them. Meet them.
Help them understand your concerns.
Find out who funds them (individuals vs. big corporations and PACs). They will — or should — work for YOU.
Support the good ones with your time, money, and by spreading the truth about them.
Ignore and oppose the lies and smears you encounter in traditional and social media, advertisements, and official looking — but often false or misleading — mailers and newsletters. (See Misleading Mailers, below.)
It’s not enough to complain about bad government and high taxes if we don’t research carefully before voting and we continue to ask for more services that cost money. Expenses and taxes increase — sometimes exponentially — with every ask.
Hey, Idaho 👋🏻 Let’s talk about the “R-word”. CLICK to Watch.“R” stands for RESEARCH!
“R” STANDS FOR “R”ESEARCH. The party affiliation letter after a candidate’s name rarely matters these days. Candidates often choose the letter that will get them elected, not necessarily the letter that reflects their principles or future actions. Character, integrity, and their past, present, and future actions matter most. Do not presuppose a certain set of principles based simply on party affiliation, the size of a campaign sign, or clever slogans.
Use your independent thinking skills! Be appropriately skeptical.
Do not fully trust traditional news, social media, commercials, campaign signs, mailers, staged photos of candidates, etc. They typically are biased and designed to inflame. (See Misleading Mailers, below.)
Do your own research usingprimary sources.
Review the official platforms and websites of each Idaho political party
Ask yourself how closely a candidate’s actions align with their party platform.
Read candidate websites carefully (but verify all claims, lies, and exaggerations).
Attend in-person events and town-halls with candidates.
Listen to podcast interviews with candidates.
Watch candidate town-hall videos.
Ask direct questions of the candidates and listen carefully to their answers.
Read proposed ballot measures / initiatives and bills yourself. Be aware that the titles, statements of purpose, and language can be misleading. Insist that measures be clear, honest, and concise! Are they misleading (many are)?
Don’t sign any petition unless you fully understand its implications. Example: Ranked Choice Voting initiative has far-reaching implications that likely will turn Idaho blue.
Ask legislators whether they will propose and/or support medical liberty legislation and constitutional amendment here: https://icanlegislate.org/
Actions speak louder than words: Study voting records of incumbents and past actions of newcomers; never simply take on faith what they say they believe in or promise to do. See How Did My Idaho Legislator Vote?
Vote AGAINST long-time incumbents unless you truly like them and they are highly ranked by trusted sources (see PART 2 for some trusted sources).
Do not vote for candidates whom you have not researched. NOTE: Election integrity will be better if you research and complete each box.
Vote AGAINST any ballot measure that you don’t fully understand.
Volunteer for a candidate you believe in. Door to door campaigning (door knocking and literature drops) is one of the most effective ways to reach voters. Also help with phone banking (calling or texting people), writing letters, or hosting a Meet & Greet in your neighborhood.
Misleading Mailers
When you receive a flyer or mailer (or see or hear something on social media, TV, radio, etc.), find out who paid for the piece. Was it the candidate? Was it a special interest group (or PAC) acting to promote or oppose the candidate for their own reasons? Are claims backed by facts? These things matter. Be careful before making decisions based on possibly misleading information.
🎉Fun Fact: PACs are not subject to the same campaign finance laws that candidates are and they do not have to consult with the candidates they are targeting — for better or for worse.
Poll workers and poll watchers help ensure fair and honest elections (election integrity); they are part of the county elections process.
Sign up to be a poll worker (including Chief Judge or District Judge) or a poll watcher.
Fight Election Fraud - Promote Election Integrity
Summary of Election Fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election in the Swing States: “Out of fraud no action arises.”Read Full Report
TimOhDee’s Election Integrity Substack. Tim covers election integrity issues in Idaho and beyond: Read
Lies, misinformation, disinformation, malinformation. As the primary and general elections approach, you will be subjected to lies, misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation from traditional media, social media, radio and TV news and ads, slanted flyers, government “official sources,” and even friends and family.
Use your own independent thinking skills.Research widely. Get to know candidates in person. DO NOT BE LAZY. DO NOT rely on out-of-context snippets. And DO check out our voting guide for tips on immunizing your brain against washing.
Avoid mail-in ballots if you can, even if they are convenient. “Dirty voter rolls” or otherwise ineligible voters and mail-in voting are key contributors to cheating in elections. There’s not much everyday citizens can do about this power-grabbing executive order. But we can resist using mail-in voting. Educate others about its dangers. Vote in person unless you are sick or certain to be out of town. “Convenience” is not a good excuse to vote by mail.
Vote in-person on Election Day at your official polling place. Or vote early. Just be sure to vote! Read
Avoid unsecured, unmonitored, outside, or mobile ballot drop boxes.
Judicial Watch (JW) Your Election Integrity Watchdog!We highly recommend the work of non-profit Judicial Watch, which has been fighting for election integrity, clean voter rolls, and more since 1994. JW uses open records, freedom of information laws, and other tools to investigate, uncover, and litigate misconduct by corrupt politicians and government officials.
Verify: Idaho Secretary of State Encourages Voters to Identify Trusted Sources of Information: Read
Idaho Election Integrity Issues
Idaho is under attack by groups who want to flip the state from red to blue. For example, groups form a Political Action Committee (PAC) to support or smear candidates. Not all can be trusted to disclose their backers or indicate who is paying for a particular message. You must be vigilant.
Watch out for proper campaign finance “Paid for” disclosures and beware of PACs (Political Action Committees) that spring up suddenly, like mushrooms after a storm.
Watch for Wolves in Sheep's Clothing!
👀 Campaign Finance “Paid for” Disclosures.
A disclaimer must be included on all communications advocating for a candidate.
From the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office (Phil McGrane) (05/06/24)
Campaign Finance “Paid for” Disclosure
Disclaimer must be included on all communications advocating for a candidate.
Dear Candidates and PACs,
Over the weekend, our office received several complaints about automated phone calls and text messaging without the proper disclosures. We take all campaign finance complaints seriously and will do our best to ensure everyone complies with Idaho Sunshine Laws.
As we continue to investigate these complaints, we wanted to send along a reminder to all candidates and PACs communications advocating for a candidate or measure that a disclaimer must be included a “paid for” disclaimer.
In the case of automated phone calls, the disclaimer must be at the outset of the message.
PACs are cropping up left (mostly left) and right and their names are designed to mislead you. Beware of new PACs whose names are similar to long-standing groups.
Example: One example is several new PACS set up in Washington County, Idaho:
» The REAL Group: ConservativesOf: Washington County – Idaho (https://conservativesof.com/idaho/ Scroll down to Washington County). This small group has existed since 2021 and already has lost donations to the PAC impersonator group.
» The PAC Impersonators (Chair: John Jensen – type John Jensen into Chairman box) – all set up in April 2024:
Mailers, radio, and TV ads often will seize upon a candidate’s vote(s), take it out of context, and twist the facts. Here’s how KVTB Channel 7 explained it in the video segment below, diving not only into the misinformation of the ads but also the people and organizations behind the ads.
Ad-Check: Political ad slamming Canyon County senators, KVTB Channel 7, 05/07/24 (6 min 22 sec): Watch
SOURCE: Ad-Check: Political ad slamming Canyon County senators, KVTB Channel 7, 05/07/24 (6 min 22 sec): CLICK here to Watch
Assess what the elected officials actually do vs. what they promised to do. Visit their websites and sign up for their newsletters. Watch what legislation they propose, support, and oppose. Contact them — calls and texts often work better than email — with your concerns as well as your praise. (Legislators especially appreciate when you support their efforts, not just complain about them.) See How Did My Idaho Legislator Vote, below.
When emailing or texting, make the subject line catchy but specific and pithy. If writing from a sample script, adjust the subject line so it will be different from other writers’ subject lines (but still specific and pithy).
You can sort results by Legislator, Party, or Vote.
To see contact info and details for a particular legislator, click the underlined name of the legislator. The detail page includes Sponsored Bills, Votes, Committees, and History with several sortable columns.
The upper-right corner also includes links to the legislator’s website, Ballotpedia, and Follow the Money entry.
Idaho has two Federal (US) legislative districts with one US House member in each district.
Like all US states, Idaho has two US Senators (not district dependent).
Idaho is divided into multiple state legislative districts and multiple county districts.
Each state legislative district has two state representatives (Idaho House), designated as seat A or B, and one state senator (Idaho Senate).
Each county is divided into districts. Check your official county website for district and election information: County websites: https://voteidaho.gov/county-clerks/
Each county also includes municipalities (e.g., cities and towns). Check your official municipal website for election information: Municipal websites: https://www.idaho.gov/cities/
It’s Not Easy to Find the Best Judge for the Job? When in Doubt, VOTE NO on Retention.
Magistrate Judges are initially appointed by commission, non-partisan election (Idaho Code Section 1-2205, 1-2207)Magistrate judges have an outsize influence on the daily lives of citizens who end up in their courts. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find out how well or poorly they adjudicate.
Recommendation:Vote NO on retention unless you know the judge is excellent. A non-retention vote creates a vacancy and a new judge will be appointed.
Conservatives must vote, but they must be informed first!
🗣️To be considered radical for simply desiring a return to the original constitutional form of what’s left of our Republic, the one gifted to us through the blood and treasure of our Founders, provides an important clue to how corrupt and debased our culture has become. ~ Gordon Petrie (c. 2024)
🗣️Remember, Republicans who stay home elect Democrats. ~Dorothy Moon, Idaho GOP Chair
First Principles: What guides a person? Does a candidate or incumbent have strong conservative first principles? Does he or she follow the Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, Golden Rule, and 10 Commandments? Does he or she promote small government and individual responsibility? Does he or she follow the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s 12 Freedom Metrics? https://idahofreedom.org/freedom-metric/
Only Republicans can vote for Republicans in the PRIMARY. Party affiliation doesn’t matter for the GENERAL.
The vote of every Representative and Senator affects YOU, regardless of your legislative district. So even if great candidates are NOT in your district, you can support their campaigns with time, money, and by spreading the word.
Vote for a CONSTITUTIONAL County Sheriff! The County Sheriff is the only elected law enforcement official in America. He or she protects the people as a peacekeeper and guardian of liberty. The County Sheriff’s duty is to stop criminal and out-of-control government from killing, abusing, violating, robbing, and destroying its own people. Ask every County Sheriff and candidate one key question: “Will you stand against tyranny?” Read more
Be careful!Not all “R”epublicans or organizations with conservative sounding names are Conservatives or Constitutional Conservatives.
Many are RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) or “Establishment Republicans” with left-leaning voting records and ideology. Some are Democratic front groups. Some examples of non-conservative organizations are listed below (thanks to Jacyn Gallagher, District 9 House, Scott Herndon, District 1 Senate, and Brent Regan, KCRCC Chair for many of these suggestions):
Formed April 2024 in Washington County, Idaho (John Jensen)
Conservatives Of Washington County
Conservativesof Washington County
Preserve Washington County Values
Preserve Weiser Values
Washington County Conservatives
Washington County Republicans
Weiser Republicans
Before the PRIMARY Election – Register Republican.
PRIMARY Election – Vote for the best, most conservative candidates among Republicans.
GENERAL Election – Vote for the best, most conservative candidates and ballot measures! NOTE: Leaving ballot items blank either due to ignorance or in protest can compromise election integrity, so it’s best to research and then vote.
Idaho Freedom Action (501(c)(4) nonprofit dedicated to preserving freedom in the Gem State): https://idahofreedomaction.org/
Idaho Freedom PAC (founded in 2021 to combat wealthy special interest groups, hold politicians to their word, and reignite the flame of liberty): https://idahofreedompac.com/
🔥Gem State Chronicle The Primary Pulse (Brian Almon): Comprehensive resource for Republican primary candidates running for the Legislature, including candidate interviews, hometown, occupation, statement, endorsements, opponent(s), time in office, committees, affiliation, index rankings, and resources. Do not miss this amazing tool:https://gemstatechronicle.com/primary-pulse/ | Primary 2024 Candidate Interviews
Sen. Scott Herndon Leans to the RIGHT. High scores on Idaho Freedom Foundation, American Conservative Union, and Institute for Legislative Analysis, plus membership in Idaho Freedom Caucus (IFC) and Citizen’s Alliance of Idaho Pledge. Low score on Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry (IACI).
Sen. Geoff Schroeder Leans to the LEFT. Low scores on Idaho Freedom Foundation, American Conservative Union, and Institute for Legislative Analysis, plus membership in Main Street Caucus (MSC) and no Citizen’s Alliance of Idaho Pledge. High score on Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry (IACI).caption...
Caucus affiliation, if any See Main Street or Dead End? What's really behind the "Main Street Caucus" by Brian Almon for a thorough analysis of Main Street Idaho Caucus vs. Idaho Freedom Caucus: Read
IDAHO GOP Platform Rating. Scroll through the list, sort by rank, name, votes, rating, or grade. Filter as desired. Click on a name to view voting record and other statistics. CLICK for Website.
Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) ranks Idaho state Senator and Representative based on his or her voting records for freedom, spending, and education. IFF rankings start at year 2015. You also can view each legislator’s voting record in detail, filtered by index and year. Not all candidates will have voting records (e.g., they weren’t elected to the legislature) and some were in office prior to 2015, so they won’t have IFF rankings.
Use the filters at the top of the page to select an Index (e.g., Freedom, Education, Spending), Party, Chamber, District, Year, Score, or individual name.
Click on any name for detailed statistics and Voting Record.
These metrics are to score bills (and, based on their votes, the legislators themselves). Example of Freedom Metric criteria (edited):
1. Does it create, expand, or enlarge any agency, board, program, function, or activity of government? Or, does it do the inverse? 2. Does it transfer a function of the private sector to the government? 3. Does it give government any new, additional, or expanded power to prohibit, restrict, or regulate activities in the free market? Or, does it do the inverse? 4. Does it increase barriers to entry into the market? Or, does it do the inverse? 5. Does it directly or indirectly create or increase any taxes, fees, or other assessments? Or, does it do the inverse? 6. Does it increase government redistribution of wealth? 7. Does it increase government spending (for objectionable purposes) or debt? Or, does it do the inverse? 8. Does it in any way restrict public access to information related to government activity or otherwise compromise government transparency, accountability, or election integrity? Or, does it do the inverse? 9. Does it violate the principle of equal protection under the law? 10. Does it directly or indirectly create or increase penalties for victimless crimes or non-restorative penalties for nonviolent crimes? Or, does it do the inverse? 11. Does it violate the spirit or the letter of either the United States constitution or the Idaho constitution? 12. Does it violate the principles of federalism by increasing federal authority, yielding to federal blandishments, or incorporating changeable federal laws into Idaho statutes or rules?
How Red States Become Blue! Idaho, don’t let this happen to your state:
Rocky Mountain Heist | How 4 Rich Liberals Flipped Colorado from a Republican State to a Liberal Stronghold (video 45 min 26 sec): Watch
The accompanying article by “Freedom Man” addresses the two elements needed to flip a state: The Unprincipled voter and the Apathetic voter. Read
The Texas Heist | Do Democrats Run The Texas House? (video 37 min 50 sec): Watch
Let My People Go | Free the J6 Prisoners | End Rigged Elections (03/05/24) Let My People Go is a modern-day deliverance story rooted in biblical themes and archetypes. Explains why J6 happened and how election integrity is compromised (video 2 hr 16 min): Rumble | YouTube (with transcript) | Official website with trailers and purchase options
State Legislators, County Officers, Mayor, City Council, Fire Commissioner, School Board, Precinct Committeemen & Other Local Officials Matter — A LOT! Vote for the best candidates to keep your state, county, and cities strong and your government under control.
Disclaimer: Specific candidate recommendations are personal opinions. Personal opinions are like, well, you know. Recommended candidates in this Guide are personally known or carefully observed by the author unless otherwise noted. Photos included for “newcomers.” You can find official voter guides below.
2024 PRIMARY ELECTIONS ARE KEY
Please avoid apathy! VOTE CONSERVATIVE in the Primary or you won’t have to move back to a blue state. You’ll instead turn Idaho blue.
❌VOTERS: Please don’t sit out the primaries unless you want to move to the socialist states of California, Oregon, and Washington without hiring a van! If you fail to elect principled people in the primaries, we’re all headed to becoming a blue state: Find Out How Your Legislators Voted
Many Republicans in the 2024 Idaho legislature supported socialistic principles and bills! VOTERS — WE MUST DO BETTER! Please, vote CAREFULLY in the Primaries coming up on May 21. It’s all over if you wait for the General elections in November.
👉Statewide Races (Idaho Secretary of State Website): Read
👉County Races (visit your County Clerk’s Website): Find Your Clerk
Re-Elect & Support All IFC Members Who Are Running Again
PUBLIC Members of Idaho Freedom Caucus. (Several others are “behind the scenes” members.) Click to VISIT IFC Substack.
Re-elect these public members of the Idaho Freedom Caucus (IFC). Back Row, left to right: Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld–District 24; Rep. Tony Wisniewski–District 5; Rep. Joe Alfieri–District 4; Rep.Mike Kingsley (not running for re-election)–District 7; Rep. Dale Hawkins–District 2; Sen. Scott Herndon–District 1. Front Row, left to right: Rep. Jacyn Gallagher-District 9; Rep. Heather Scott (Co-Chair)–District 2; Rep. Elaine Price–District 4; Sen. Tammy Nichols (Co-Chair)–District 10; Sen. Brian Lenney–District 13; Sen. Cindy Carlson–District 7. IFC Substack | IFC Website | Donate
Snail Mail donations: Idaho Freedom Caucus PAC 1107 East Sherman Ave Couer d’ Alene ID 83814
SOURCE: Almost there… Sen. Christy Zito vs. incumbent Sen. Geoff Schroeder. NO Comparison if you want someone who will be on the front lines, listening to you and standing for your truth and your first freedoms (that’s Christy Zito, in case you were wondering). Read article.
If you want a conservative Senator in District 8, please
support Christy Zito. Together, we can ensure that Idaho
remains the land of the free for generations.
District Map | Who’s Running > Office > State Representative (list below includes only those running opposed in the primary; photos are of non-incumbent challengers)
Support Idaho Freedom Caucus Representatives Running for Re-Election. These legislators are all provenConstitutional Republicans. See photos above.
Website | Doug Traubel is a member of Constitutional Sheriff and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) and affiliated with the Constitution Party; therefore, most people will have to wait until the NOV 5 general to vote for him. | Writings & Videos:
I have had the honor to represent and meet many of you here in Precinct 70, Mores Creek. As incumbent, I
humbly ask for your vote again on May 21, 2024 to keep Boise County a Republican stronghold in Idaho...
