Senate committee advances constitutional amendment to change initiative signature distribution after hours of public testimony

The Senate State Affairs Committee voted 5–3 to send Senate Joint Resolution 101 to the Senate floor with a recommendation that it receive a due-pass vote. Senator Doug O'Conowitz, sponsor of SJR 101 and a senator from Legislative District 3, told the committee that if approved by the legislature and the voters the amendment would "change signature gathering requirements for initiatives and referenda" by requiring the same 6 percent threshold in each of Idaho's 35 legislative districts rather than the current statewide distribution method.

The proposal’s backers said the measure preserves the total number of signatures required while preventing wealthy out‑of‑state donors from targeting a handful of areas to put measures on the ballot. Senator O'Conowitz told the committee that the change "will make that more difficult" for outside special interests and that the resolution simply puts the question…