IDAHO — Idahoans United for Women and Families is suing over ballot language that it claims does not align "with two decades of Idaho election history."
The lawsuit asks the state supreme court to strike down the "Yes" or "No" statements included with Proposition One — Idaho's abortion rights ballot initiative — on the general election ballot.
Idahoans United is asking that the statements, written jointly by Attorney General Raul Labrador and Secretary of State Phil McGrane, be replaced "with lawful, clear and concise language."
Labrador responded to the lawsuit in a statement to Idaho News 6:
"Idaho law is clear: the Attorney General and Secretary of State are responsible for writing ballot language that clearly and concisely explains the effect of a Yes or No vote. Our duty is to fully inform the voters of Idaho. We applied the same legal standard to every measure on the ballot. Idaho voters deserve a straightforward explanation of what their vote will do."
The lawsuit, filed late Wednesday, claims the statements drafted by Labrador and McGrane are not straightforward and not in keeping with established precedent for ballot proposition language.
"Typically, the 'No' portion was about 11 words long and read: 'A no vote would make no change to current Idaho law.'"
The 38-word "No" statement drafted for Proposition One "is the longest proposed in Idaho history — by a wide margin," Idahoans United claims.
Downtown Boise
Abortion rights initiative qualifies for Idaho's November ballot
Idahoans United notes this is the second time it is suing Labrador over ballot language for the Reproductive Freedom & Privacy Act, now known as Proposition One. The organization noted that last year, the state supreme court found elements of the ballot language misleading and ordered it to be re-written.
"The direction from the Court was clear: Idaho voters deserve clear, accurate, and fair language on the ballot to inform their vote," Idahoans United executive director Melanie Folwell stated in a Thursday news release. "This long, confusing, biased Yes/No language, hustled in at the last minute, is incredibly disappointing."
