Madison County Republicans vote at caucus for change
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REXBURG — Madison County Republicans braved the winter weather to vote in the party’s statewide Presidential Caucus Saturday afternoon.
Madison County voters registered as Republicans were able to cast their ballots at Madison Middle School, among other areas. Although news agencies weren’t allowed inside the caucus, EastIdahoNews.com was on hand to visit with voters outside.
The statewide caucus will determine which presidential nominee Idaho’s delegates will support at the Republican National Convention. A total of 32 pledged delegates will go to the Republican National Convention, allocated according to the results of Saturday’s voting.
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.
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In an election where the economy, rising crime and global conflicts, “indoctrination” in schools and securing the border with Mexico are all at the forefront of Republicans’ minds, caucus attendees were eager to help enact change.
“(We’ve) got to stop the downward spiral,” Doug Horton told EastIdahoNews.com as he left the caucus.
Some people, like Horton, had decided who they were voting for before heading to the caucus.
Others were less excited about their options.
Nathan Jack moved to Rexburg from Oregon about 18 months ago for work. This is his first presidential election in Idaho, and although he generally had a positive experience with the caucus, he wished there were more candidates.
“Frankly, I’m not excited about the candidates,” he told EastIdahoNews.com with a laugh.
Be that as it may, he felt it was still important for him to vote.
He wasn’t alone. Parents carrying small children and pushing strollers joined the elderly with walkers to make their voices heard.
However, people didn’t seem to linger. Voters told EastIdahoNews.com they appreciated being able to cast their ballot and leave quickly.
By 1 p.m., just an hour after the caucus began, the parking lot was mostly empty.
Volunteers at Madison Middle School told EastIdahoNews.com they were surprised and gratified by the turnout, “especially considering the weather.”
