Abortion initiative group sues Idaho state officials over ‘misleading’ ballot language

Filed 1h ago · Via Stateline · The Buffoon Desk

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Kevin MacLeod · incompetech.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: Eric Gillet · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Idahoans United for Women and Families sued Idaho election officials over proposed ballot language for Proposition 1, the abortion-access initiative, arguing the state's “yes” and “no” statements are confusing and legally noncompliant. The lawsuit, filed with the Idaho Supreme Court, comes as officials face a September 25 deadline to print 850,000 voter guides.

The disputed language was drafted by Secretary of State Phil McGrane and Attorney General Raúl Labrador, a longtime abortion-rights opponent currently appealing a federal ruling protecting abortion access in medical emergencies. The group says the “no” statement fails to describe that Idaho's law is a criminal statute carrying felony penalties for providers, and that the “yes” statement inconsistently describes fetal viability.

This is the second time the group has sued over ballot language; the Idaho Supreme Court unanimously sided with them in April 2025 over a separate short title and fiscal impact statement. Attorneys have asked for a ruling by September 11.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

An attorney general who has spent years fighting abortion access being tasked with writing the “neutral” explanation of an abortion measure is not exactly a recipe for neutrality. That the court has already had to correct this office once this year suggests the pattern is the point, not the accident.

Source: Read the original at Stateline → Scored: Pixel Peeker Polka - faster · Kevin MacLeod · CC BY 4.0

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