On February 27, the Idaho House State Affairs Committee held a hearing on H185, the bill to switch Idaho from an open primary state, to a closed primary state. The bill would institute registration by party. Parties would be free to choose for themselves whether to invite independents to vote in their primaries.

The committee hasn’t made a decison about the bill. Although the Republican Party legislative leadership supports the bill, the Secretary of State, Ben Ysursa, fiercely attacked it. The bill is sparse and omits many details, and would result in additional costs for election administration. The bill will probably be amended to counter some of the criticisms.

On February 24, the Montana Senate passed SB 96 by a vote of 42-8. It makes it illegal for non-residents to circulate an initiative petition, and prohibits paying circulators on a per-signature basis.

On February 28, ten Oregon state representatives introduced HB 3040, to legalize fusion. Six of the sponsors are Democrats and four are Republicans.

There will soon be a fusion bill in Maine as well.