Idaho Minorities Don't Turn Out on Election Day

Source: WalletHub

Idaho’s political representation doesn’t much look like the rest of the state. That’s the claim made by WalletHub. The firm looked at every state in the country and the District of Columbia. Idaho finished in the bottom ten. The state is listed at 41^st on the list.

The same with District 26 where both House seats and the Senate seat are held by women, one of whom is Senate Minority Leader.

This is based on demographics. Apparently, our state and national leadership don’t look enough like the population at large. I’ve got a few doubts about the methodology. First, this is one of the whitest states in the Union. This isn’t a surprise. Walk down any street in any town or city in Idaho and you’ll notice it isn’t Mississippi.

Perhaps the research shows a lack of women in elective offices. Strange, I drove a good portion of state legislative District 23 over the past weekend. The two seats in the House are held by women. In January, we’ll likely have 2 of the three seats held by women. Christy Zito is leaving the House and is the overwhelming favorite to take the Senate seat in the District.

Laurie Lickley holds one of the two House seats in District 25 and Linda Hartgen in District 24. These are all local seats. The same with District 26 where both House seats and the Senate seat are held by women, one of whom is Senate Minority Leader.

We’ve got a woman serving for the very first time as Lt. Governor. I just can’t imagine other states with wildly different outcomes.

At the national level, our two House seats and two Senate seats are all held by men but let’s put this in some context. Our delegation is four while California has 55. A bigger number of seats would obviously increase representation by women. California’s two Senate seats are held by women and a large number serve in the House of Representatives. North Idaho has sent a woman to the House in the past, so it’s not a matter of hostility between the sexes.

I understand the WalletHub outcome but I don’t believe it tells the full story. Which is where I get back to where I find common ground with WalletHub. Some demographics in Idaho simply don't show much interest in voting.