Bonneville GOP caucus voters are hoping for ‘justice’ this election season. Others are looking for less of a show.
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IDAHO FALLS – The largest Bonneville County GOP caucus kicked off at Thunder Ridge High School Saturday as voters trudged through buckets of snow to cast their votes.
This marks the first Idaho GOP presidential caucus since 2012.
According to the Idaho Capital Sun, the Idaho Legislature unintentionally eliminated the presidential primary election last year and did not restore it by passing a trailer bill or calling a special session.
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So this year, Idaho Republicans casting their votes for national leader in a caucus. Statewide and local Republican races will still have a primary election in May.
The caucus was run entirely by the Republican Party – from setting up the rules, to selecting the caucus sites, to verifying voter eligibility, to counting the ballots by hand and announcing results.
There were six candidates on the ballot to choose from including: Donald J. Trump, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie and Ryan L. Binkley. All of the candidates besides Trump and Haley have dropped out of the race, but all six candidates still appear on the ballots in Idaho because they paid their $50,000 filing fee.
The Idaho GOP decided this year that media was only allowed inside caucus sites (many public, taxpayer-funded buildings) if they were a registered Republican.
Journalists should remain neutral and refrain from publicizing their opinions on the topics they cover, so EastIdahoNews.com stayed outside the building and interviewed only those coming in and out of the event.
Due to the winter storm, fewer people than expected attended the event, but Bonneville County GOP members say they felt the need to come cast their vote, snowstorm or shine.
Caucuses were held all over Bonneville County, including in Swan Valley, where at least one voter even had to take a four-wheeler to the event to get through the snow.
A voter at Thunder Ridge High School, says she is voting to make sure “America gets a voice.”
“I’m looking to make sure that America gets a voice. That’s what I want. Whatever it is, I want Trump, personally,” says Michelle Western Meikle, a caucus-goer. “I want to know that we all had a say.”
Meikle says she doesn’t support the change from primaries to caucuses and feels let down by Idaho legislators.
“I don’t like caucuses, I think a primary is a lot better way to do it. But I think our legislators let us down in not having that changed earlier,” said Western Meikle. “I don’t think there’s enough people that come out and understand what’s going on. It’s by percentages and not by vote.”
Another voter, Robert Redick, says he came out to vote based on his beliefs that the 2020 election was rigged and that Donald Trump did not get a fair shot.
“Trump train! I don’t believe that Biden won the last election fair and square. I do believe it was rigged,” says Redick. “I just want to get him out of there and get Trump in there. They’re trying to do everything they can to kick him out, because Biden is all about foreign countries. And Trump is all about America.”
In one word, Redick hopes this election season will bring the country “justice.”
“(Trump) did a lot of good stuff while he was in there for the Americans, trying to bring jobs back and stuff,” says Redick. “Biden’s sending jobs all over seas, and just giving all our money away to other countries and he doesn’t care about America one bit.”
William Christy, a self-proclaimed “old-school Republican,” says he is voting for Trump due to concerns over social security and Medicare, but says he’s “long-looked” for a better candidate.
“Not only is our duty to vote, but there are certain rights I care to protect as a citizen of the United States and as a veteran of the armed forces,” says Christy. “I have long looked for a quality (candidate). I would honestly have to say, if there was a reliable third candidate, I would’ve voted for a third candidate. Because to tell you the truth, at the beginning of all of this, I didn’t want either Trump or Biden in there.”
Christy says he worries that Trump hasn’t “learned his lesson” from the legal issues during his time in office, but believes he is the best candidate either way.
“I hope he’s learned his lessons from last time, and he’s a little more diplomatic, and can get the cooperation of the House and Senate to work with him. That would be nice,” says Christy. “Like all of us, we have to get fired that first time for shooting our mouth off, but hopefully, he’s learned, and somebody’s taught him some politics. How to work on the politics.”
On the other side of opinions, Jamie and Shon Fisher say they plan to vote for Nikki Haley over concerns that Trump isn’t looking out for America’s best interests.
“I don’t like the show of Donald Trump. I just don’t think he’s really looking out for the country’s best interest,” says Shon. “I think if you really look back during COVID, Donald Trump was really interested in sending out checks and stuff. I don’t think he really stood for that, despite what it seems like he’s taking over the Republican party nationally.”