Election 2012

Writer and journalist Timothy Egan spent 18 years telling stories about the West for The New York Times.

The Spokane, Washington native now writes opinion pieces for the paper.  Egan speaks tonight, Wednesday, in Boise about the state of American politics.  

He's a guest of the Andrus Center For Public Policy.  Egan says President Obama's re-election reflects what he calls “huge and unalterable” shifts in American demographics.

Click 'Listen' to hear our interview. 

Gay rights groups hope Oregon will be the next state to legalize same-sex marriage at the ballot. Washington did that this week. But to follow suit, Oregon voters would have to reverse themselves and repeal a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Voters passed that ban in 2004 after a campaign led by the conservative Oregon Family Council. Spokeswoman Teresa Harke says her group will oppose any efforts to overturn it.

"I think there are still a lot of people who support one man, one woman marriage. And we are ready to fight for that."

Two thirds of Idaho voters Tuesday rejected a law to increase technology use in schools. Of the three propositions voted down, it was Proposition Three that failed by the widest margin. That one repeals the technology component of the Students Come First laws. But one of the most well-known parts of that law will remain in place.

Idaho voters rejected the state’s teacher pay for performance plan when they said no to Proposition 2 this week. However, the schools and teachers that have earned bonuses for work in the last year have already been announced, but whether or not that money gets into teachers’ hands remains uncertain.

More than 20 seats changed hands in the Idaho Legislature  Tuesday. Some House members made the jump to the Senate.  And plenty of new faces will be in the legislature when the session starts in January. 

Boise State political science professor Gary Moncrief says, despite the changes, the makeup of the House and the Senate will be pretty much the same.

Supporters of same-sex marriage in Washington celebrated victory Wednesday. Zach Silk managed the campaign that's claiming a win on what’s called Referendum 74.

He addressed a crowded room of supporters Wednesday near downtown Seattle. "So, I have to ask, how’s it feel to make history?”

What a difference a day makes. When Silk addressed supporters on election night, he was cautious about the results. He said the race was too close to call with voter approval at just 52 percent. Now, Silk says they’ve crunched the numbers and are confident the lead will hold.

Voters sent a clear message to Idaho lawmakers this week by rejecting all three education propositions by margins of 15 percent or more.

See how each county voted and compare that to support for Tom Luna's 2010 reelection bid.  Click here to explore the interactive map...

So what percentage of people in Idaho voted?  Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa says that’s a hard number to pin down so soon after Election Day.

“It’s difficult to give a turnout figure based on registered voters because we register voters on Election Day, so that’s a moving target,” Ysursa said.  “History has shown in a Presidential year, there could be 100,000 to 112,000 who have registered on Election Day.”

After voters rejected the controversial Students Come First education laws last night, members of the Vote No campaign gathered outside of Boise High this morning.

Vote No campaign chairman Mike Lanza said that the results of the referenda are clear. He says that voters showed how much they care about local control in Idaho’s schools, and he characterized the election results as “glorious.”  

Here’s the statement from Tom Luna on the failure of Propositions 1, 2, and 3:

Northwest voters have mixed views when it comes to legalizing marijuana. Oregon voters rejected an attempt to allow people to smoke and grow pot. But Washington voters approved a more limited legalization initiative.

Idaho Republican U.S. Reps. Mike Simpson and Raul Labrador were on pace to beat their Democratic rivals and return to Congress.

In early results, Simpson tallied nearly 68 percent, to just 32 percent for his Democratic rival, Nicole LeFavour.

Labrador was trouncing ex-NFL player Jimmy Farris, 64 percent to 30 percent.

For Labrador, a win means his second term since sweeping into office in 2010 on a wave of tea party support.

Labrador says it was hard to take Farris seriously, given the Democrat voted for the first time in 2008.

President Obama has won re-election in a sweep that ended the night before the count was completed in two key battleground states, Florida and Virginia. By holding the "Midwest firewall" — including Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan — the president handily defeated his challenger.

"This has been a topsy-turvy campaign from beginning to end," says Andrew Kohut, president of Pew Research Center. "And it ended in a topsy-turvy way."

Voters around Idaho are heading to the polls this afternoon.

In the state's largest county voting has been smooth so far.  That’s according to Phil McGrane, Ada County’s Chief Deputy Clerk. ”Only small issues far, we haven’t had any real challenges to deal with and as far as we know right now there aren’t any strong lines to speak of and people are able to get in and get out relatively quickly.”

Americans head to the polls Tuesday. Here in Idaho big turnout is expected. Many Idahoans have already voted including 1,700 high school students. They took part in the state's student mock election.  

In this election, religion has sometimes played a divisive role. But on election night, churches throughout the Northwest — and the country — will try to use their pulpits to ease the rancor of politics.

Electoral politics don’t always have the nicest soundtrack. You’ve heard the ominous music in the ads.

“Good for them — bad for us,” says one spot.
“Doesn’t America deserve better?” says another.

Voters in Idaho’s largest county tomorrow will pick two Ada County Commissioners. Republican Dave Case, who was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board this spring, is running against Democrat Tom Howell in District Three.  Jon Howard is the third candidate running in District 3. 

Democrat Larry Rincover and Republican Jim Tibbs are running for the District One seat.

Tuesday Idahoan’s will vote on propositions 1, 2, and 3. Those ask if the state should keep the controversial education laws known as Students Come First. The laws limit collective bargaining rights and seek to increase technology use in schools. One of the laws also creates a pay for performance plan where teachers can earn bonuses. Now that law has drawn criticism from an unexpected source.

Northwest voters are spared most presidential campaign ads. But Northwest money still plays a part in them. A handful of big spenders from the region are bolstering major super PACs behind a barrage of ads now hitting swing states.

Florida voters might thank some wealthy Washington residents for a recent ad blitz targeting President Obama. People working in the financial services sector around Seattle have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Karl Rove's American Crossroads. It's a super PAC that supports Republican candidates.