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 By Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch

Can activists persuade states to move to an open primary system? There are initiatives in South Dakota and Idaho to move from the states' closed party elections to an open primary. This allows voters to weigh in on candidates regardless of party -- either the voter's or the candidate's -- with the top two vote-getters advancing to the general election.

• A bipartisan group of activists in South Dakota is aiming to get an open primaries amendment on the South Dakota general election ballot in 2024, but South Dakota Republican Party Chair John Wiik said Republicans are "110% opposed to the idea."
• In Idaho, the state attorney general and advocates for open primaries are in conflict as the AG claimed the open primaries initiative would conflict with the Idaho Constitution and Idaho law. Open primary supporters say the AG is taking a "very political approach" to the initiative, and that the ballot titles supplied by the office are misleading.
• Meanwhile, Ohio lawmakers filed two measures in late June that would establish a closed primary system, setting a deadline for party declaration prior to the primary election to participate.

TOP IMPACT What to read this week

Trump appeals to farmers in Iowa campaign visit

“It’s all bulls----,” former President Donald Trump said Friday during a campaign rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa. “I’m the only person who ever got indicted that got more popular."

It was the Republican frontrunner’s first appearance in Iowa since his 37-count federal indictment last month that accuses Trump of scheming to keep classified documents from his time as president. | Read more

Vulnerable U.S. House Republicans who opposed student debt plan targeted in 2024

Supporters of student loan debt cancellation are organizing to hold GOP lawmakers “accountable” in the 2024 election cycle following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling blocking President Joe Biden’s debt relief plan.

The left-leaning Protect Borrowers Action will target 13 U.S. House districts across California, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania, where Republicans opposed Biden’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 for roughly 40 million qualifying student loan borrowers. | News from the States

BIG PICTURE Election coverage across the country

Presidential candidates

• Biden in South Carolina calls out Republicans who tout major legislation they opposed | News from the States

• Pence says he doesn’t buy argument that the rich don’t pay ‘fair share’ of taxes | Iowa Capital Dispatch 

• National spotlight looms for Fulton probe as Trump campaigns for White House return | Georgia Recorder

• 2024 Presidential candidates ramp up campaigns for 1st primary in New Hampshire | NPR

• Leaping from senator to president won’t be easy for Tim Scott | Politico

• Nikki Haley makes her pitch in New Hampshire. It's unclear whether voters will swing. | New York Times

Voting

• As states hunt for new voters, Massachusetts adds thousands via Medicaid applications | News from the States

• Voting rights advocates celebrate preliminary victory against FL’s new election law | Florida Phoenix

• Thousands of Mississippians can’t vote because of felony convictions. Many top candidates want to keep it that way. | Mississippi Today

Politics

• The DNC has a primary problem | New York Times

• Florida GOP will require 2024 candidates to sign loyalty pledge to qualify for primary ballot | CNN

• Citing ‘hostile actions,’ education group is the latest to pull its convention from FL | Florida Phoenix

• How Meta, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube plan to address 2024 election misinformation | PolitiFact

• Actor Hill Harper announces Democratic U.S. Senate bid in Michigan | Michigan Advance

COMING UP Calendar of events

Follow state-level coverage of Election 2024 anytime at News From The States. Send tips and thoughts to ropsahl@iowacapitaldispatch.com, and follow them on Twitter @robinlopsahl

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