Dump the bond issue supermajority? Idahoans divided on the idea

A new poll finds Idahoans split on the idea of reducing the two-thirds supermajority requirement for school bond issues.

House Floor
A constitutional amendment to reduce the bond issue supermajority would need to pass both houses of the Legislature — by two-thirds supermajorities.

Forty-four percent of respondents favored dropping the threshold to a simple majority, according to an Idaho Politics Weekly poll released Monday. Forty-nine percent of Idahoans oppose such a change, and the remaining 8 percent of respondents were undecided.

The Don Jones and Associates survey of 508 Idahoans, conducted in August, has a margin of error of 4.35 percent.

The survey revealed that Republicans oppose a change in the supermajority, by a 54-41 percent margin. The split was similar among respondents who identify themselves as political independents; 53 percent oppose the move, while 39 percent support it.

Democrats overwhelmingly support a reduction in the supermajority, by a 72-25 percent margin.

Reducing the supermajority would require a constitutional amendment — which figures to face an uphill battle in the Republican-dominated Legislature. An amendment would need to pass both houses by two-thirds majorities, and voters would have to ratify the amendment with a simple majority.

More reading: After falling just shy of a two-thirds majority in May, the Bonneville School District will take another run at a bond issue in November.

 

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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