Idaho GOP will caucus in March

By Dorothy Moon
IDGOP Chairwoman

The Legislature failed to reconvene before the deadline set by the Republican National Committee, which means the Idaho GOP will hold a caucus on March 2, 2024, to determine our nominee for President of the United States. The tradition of the caucus is as old as our country itself. When President George Washington declined to seek a third term in 1796, members of the two factions within his government each met in caucuses to choose their nominees for president.

Today, a caucus is a perfect opportunity to come together as a community to discuss the issues that are most important to us all. We will be hosting hundreds of caucuses throughout the state, bringing national politics to your front door. We will be meeting in schools, fire stations, granges, churches and other community centers throughout Idaho. Families with children are more than welcome — this will be a wonderful chance to introduce young people to American civics.

Each candidate who participates in the caucus will have five minutes to share his or her vision for our country. This might be done in person, via a local representative or by video. Once that’s done, you will cast your vote and either head home or stay behind to witness the tally. There won’t be multiple rounds of voting this time, so the whole process should go fairly quickly.

Rather than waiting until May, when the nomination will be all but over, Idaho will be the fifth state in the nation to allocate its delegates. That means that whoever wins Idaho will have the early momentum that is so important for winning the nomination. Your voice is important in deciding which candidate takes Idaho’s 32 delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Votes from every caucus location will be tallied by the state party, with paper ballots securely delivered for verification. If one candidate receives an outright majority of votes, then he or she receives all 32 of Idaho’s delegates. If nobody has more than 50-percent, then the delegates will be allocated proportionally.

Make sure that you are a registered voter and affiliated with the Republican Party by December 31, 2023, because the next day we will download the voter lists and create poll books for each caucus location. Each caucus location will also have hand stamps and watermarked ballots in sealed boxes. You can rest assured that the vote you cast will be faithfully tallied. Don’t forget your ID!

The Idaho Republican Party remains committed to representing the vast majority of Idaho’s citizens while upholding the principles of our Constitutional Republic, promoting a fair and transparent caucus, and providing the citizens of Idaho with the opportunity to make informed decisions about their future.