Idaho Democrats Say Bill Threatens Voting Process

BOISE -- Democratic lawmakers are calling foul on a bill they say threatens the state's voting process. At a press conference Wednesday, legislative leaders said the bill would be a detriment to the initiative and referendum process. If passed, the bill would require signatures from six-percent of residents in at least 18 of Idaho's 35 legislative districts. Current law only requires six percent of registered voter statewide.

The Idaho Farm Bureau is pushing the bill, saying it would restore a rural-urban balance. KTVB political expert Dr. Jim Weatherby says this is all because the Farm Bureau is launching a pre-emptive strike against a possible initiative from the U.S. Humane Society on animal cruelty. "That's been the concern of other groups, that national organizations pick on Idaho in terms of some initiatives." A similar law was overturned in 1997.