Election administration in Idaho

Election Information
Voter registration
Early voting
Absentee/mail-in voting
All-mail voting
Voter ID laws
State poll opening and closing times
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Election administration encompasses a state's voting policies and methods of enforcing them. These include voter identification requirements, early and absentee voting provisions, voter list maintenance methods, and more. Each state's voting policies dictate who can vote and under what conditions.

THE BASICS

Idaho permits online voter registration.

Idaho permits early voting and no-excuse absentee voting.

In Idaho, polls are open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time.

Idaho requires photo identification to vote.

Idaho permits political parties to decide who may vote in their primaries.

Idaho has tools for verifying voter registration and checking the status of absentee ballots.

Below, you will find details on the following election administration topics in Idaho:

• Poll times
• Voter registration
• Early and absentee/mail-in voting policy
• Voter identification requirements
• Provisional ballot rules
• Primary election type
• Time off work for voting
• Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

• Voter list maintenance
• Post-election auditing
• Election policy ballot measures
• Election policy legislation
• Ballot access
• Redistricting
• Election administration agencies

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

In Idaho, all polls are open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time. In some instances, polls may open at 7:00 a.m., at the discretion of the local clerk. Idaho is split between Mountain and Pacific time zones. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Voter registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Idaho, one must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the Idaho county in which he or she is registering for at least 30 days before the election, and at least 18 years old.

Registration in advance of election day may be completed online, in person at the county clerk's office, or by mail. Registration forms must be completed and postmarked at least 25 days prior to the election.

According to the secretary of state's website:

“

If you register to vote after July 1, 2023 and your residence address does not match the record on your driver’s license, you must provide one of the following documents to your county elections office or at the polls in order to complete the registration process. [Current photo ID from the list below] with correct residence address Current proof of insurance Deed of trust, mortgage, lease or rental agreement A property tax assessment, bill, or receipt A utility bill, excluding a cellular telephone bill A bank or credit card statement A paystub, paycheck, or government-issued check An intake document from a residential care or assisted living facility Enrollment papers issued for the current school year by a high school, or an accredited institution of higher education located within the state of Idaho. A communication on letterhead from a public or private social service agency registered with the secretary of state verifying the applicant is homeless and attesting to the applicant’s residence for registration purposes.

”

Same-day voter registration is available in Idaho.

Automatic registration

Idaho does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Idaho has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Idaho allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Idaho law requires 30 days of residency in one of the state’s counties before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Idaho does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.

Verifying your registration

The page Search for My Voter Record, run by the Idaho Secretary of State's office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Early and absentee voting policy

Early voting

See also: Early voting

Idaho permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Absentee voting

See also: Absentee voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Idaho. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee. To vote absentee, an application must be received by election officials no later than the 11th day preceding the election.

Returning absentee ballots

See also: Mail ballot collection and return laws by state

Voters in Idaho can return their absentee ballot in person or by mail to the same office that issued the ballot, usually the county elections office. Ballots received after 8 p.m. on Election Day will not be counted. Idaho law does not specify whether a voter who is unable to return his or her ballot may designate another person to return it for them.

Signature requirements and cure provisions

Absentee ballots in Idaho include an affidavit that must be signed by the voter. If election judges determine that an absentee ballot affidavit is insufficient, the ballot will not be counted. Idaho law does not include a cure provision, or a law allowing voters to correct an issue with the signature on their absentee ballot.

Was your absentee ballot counted?

Idaho voters can use the Idaho Votes website provided by the Idaho Secretary of State to check whether or not the county election office has received their absentee ballot.

Voter identification requirements

See also: Voter ID in Idaho

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Idaho requires voters to present photo identification while voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of July 2023. Click here for the Idaho Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

“

Current Idaho driver’s license or identification card Current U.S. Passport or Federal photo Identification card Current Tribal Identification card Current concealed weapons license issued by a County Sherriff in Idaho NOTE: Voters who are registered prior to July 1, 2023 may use a Current Student ID card from an Idaho educational institution. However, this will no longer be a valid form of identification beginning January 1, 2024.

”

If a voter is unable to present accepted ID, he or she is allowed to sign a personal identification affidavit swearing to his or her identity. After signing the affidavit, he or she is issued a regular ballot.

Background

As of August 2023, 34 states required voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 23 required voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 11 accepted other forms of identification. The remaining 16 states did not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.

On March 15, 2023, Governor Brad Little (R) signed H0124 into law, removing student IDs from the list of acceptable forms of voter identification, effective January 1, 2024.

Provisional ballot rules

Idaho does not have a provisional voting process.

Federal law requires most states to provide for a provisional balloting process (states that had enacted same-day voter registration processes as of 1993 were exempted from this requirement). As of April 2023, every state except Idaho, Minnesota, and New Hampshire had established a provisional voting process.

Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

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Primary election type

See also: Primary elections in Idaho

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Idaho, parties decide who may vote in their primaries. The Democratic Party allows unaffiliated voters to vote in its primary. The Republican Party allows only voters registered with its party. Unaffiliated voters can choose to affiliate with a party on Election Day.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Time off work for voting

Ballotpedia did not find a law specifying whether voters must be given time off from work to vote in this state. Nolo.com notes that states without such state laws may have administrative regulations or local ordinances pertaining to time off for voting and suggests calling your local board of elections or state labor department for more information.

If you know of a relevant policy in this state, please email us. As of 2020, 28 states had laws requiring employers to provide time off for voting under certain conditions.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for convicted felons

In Idaho, voting rights are automatically restored once people convicted of a felony complete their sentence, including prison, probation, and parole.

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.

Voter list maintenance

All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.

When names can be removed from the voter list

Idaho law requires county election officials to remove the names of voters from the registered voting list if the individual:

• Dies,
• Has not voted in the past four years, or
• Has been convicted of a felony or is imprisoned on conviction of a criminal offense.

Inactive voter list rules

Idaho does not maintain an inactive voter registration list. State law requires county election officials to remove the names of voters who have not voted in the past four years after each general election.

The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)

See also: Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)

According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records, to provide member states with detailed reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Each state pays annual dues, which are determined by a formula approved by the ERIC membership. The formula includes a state's citizen voting age population as a factor."

By 2022, 33 states and the District of Columbia had joined ERIC. As of August 2023, 26 states and the District of Columbia were members in the ERIC program.

As of August 2023, Idaho was not participating in the ERIC program.

Post-election auditing

Idaho state law requires post-election audits. The secretary of state selects by lot the counties and precincts to be audited and an audit is conducted after all primary and general elections and may be ordered for any or all federal elections, governor, the statewide office election having the narrowest percentage margin of votes, the statewide ballot question election having the narrowest percentage margin of votes, and one legislative office election within the county. Procedures for the audit must be announced at least 60 days before election day, and the audit must be completed within three days of the selection by lot of counties and precincts.

Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.

Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.

As of December 2023, 41 states and the District of Columbia required some form of post-election audit. Of these, 36 states and the District of Columbia required traditional post-election audits, three states required risk-limiting post-election audits, and two states required procedural post-election audits.

Election policy ballot measures

See also: Elections and campaigns on the ballot and List of Idaho ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Idaho.

1. Idaho Ballot Access Restrictions, HB 644 (1998)
2. Idaho Municipal Officer Election Removal, HJR 10 (1896)
3. Idaho Remove Disqualification of County Assessors, SJR 6(b) (1910)
4. Idaho Remove Disqualification of Sheriffs, SJR 6(c) (1910)
5. Idaho Increase Supreme Court Membership, HJR 6 (1920)
6. Idaho Election of County Officers, SJR 5 (1948)
7. Idaho Voting Residence Requirement, SJR 6 (1962)
8. Idaho Top-Four Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative (2024)
9. Idaho SJR 112, Simple Majority Vote for Citizen Initiatives and Allow Initiatives on General Election Ballots Amendment (1980)

Recent legislation related to election administration in Idaho

The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Idaho. The following information is included for each bill:

• State
• Bill number
• Official name or caption
• Most recent action date
• Legislative status
• Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.

Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker

State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.

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The Ballot Bulletin

The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.

Click here to view recent issues and subscribe.

Ballot access

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Idaho

A cardboard ballot box at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

In order to get on the ballot in Idaho, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Idaho. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Idaho." Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

Redistricting

See also: Redistricting in Idaho

"Gerrymandering"

Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Idaho's two United States Representatives and 105 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

Idaho was apportioned 2 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census.

HIGHLIGHTS

Following the 2020 United States Census, Idaho was apportioned two congressional districts, which was unchanged from the number it had after the 2010 census.

Idaho's state legislature comprises 35 districts, each of which elects one state senator and two state representatives.

In Idaho, an independent commission is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines.

State process

See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures

In 37 states, legislatures are primarily responsible for drawing congressional district lines. Seven states have only one congressional district each, rendering congressional redistricting unnecessary. Four states employ independent commissions to draw the district maps. In two states, politician commissions draw congressional district lines.

State legislative district lines are primarily the province of the state legislatures themselves in 37 states. In seven states, politician commissions draw state legislative district lines. In the remaining six states, independent commissions draw the lines.

In Idaho, an independent commission is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. The commission is composed of six members.

1. One member is appointed by the majority leader of the Idaho State Senate.
2. One member is appointed by the minority leader of the Idaho State Senate.
3. One member is appointed by the majority leader of the Idaho House of Representatives.
4. One member is appointed by the minority leader of the Idaho House of Representatives.
5. The chairs of the state's two largest political parties each appoint one member.

According to the Idaho Constitution, no member may be an elected or appointed official while serving on the commission. The state constitution further requires that the commission produce draft congressional and state legislative maps within 90 days of the commission's formation. There is no explicit deadline for final plans.

The state constitution requires that state legislative districts "be contiguous, and that counties be preserved intact where possible." State statutes require that both congressional and state legislative districts meet the following criteria:

• County lines must be maintained "to the extent possible."
• Districts must "preserve traditional neighborhoods, communities of interest, and (if possible) voting precinct boundaries."
• Districts should not be "oddly shaped."
• In districts comprising more than one county or a portion thereof, "those constituent pieces must also be connected by a state or federal highway."

Election administration agencies

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Idaho can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Idaho County Clerks

Click here for a list

Idaho Secretary of State Election Division

Physical address: 700 West Jefferson, Room E205, (State Capitol, East Wing, Second Floor), Boise, Idaho 83720

Mailing address: PO Box 83720, Boise, Idaho 83720-0080

Telephone: 208-334-2852

Email: elections@sos.idaho.gov

http://sos.idaho.gov/

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20001

Telephone: 301-563-3919

Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

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Recall

Democratic primaries 2024

• United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2024
• United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
• Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
• Democratic Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
• Democratic Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
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Republican primaries 2024

• United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2024
• United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
• Republican Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
• Republican Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
• Republican Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
• State legislative Republican primaries, 2024

See also

• 2024 election dates and deadlines
• Voting in Idaho
• Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Idaho
• Redistricting in Idaho

Elections in Idaho

• Idaho elections, 2023
• Idaho elections, 2022
• Idaho elections, 2021
• Idaho elections, 2020
• Idaho elections, 2019
• Idaho elections, 2018
• Idaho elections, 2017
• Idaho elections, 2016
• Idaho elections, 2015
• Idaho elections, 2014

External links

• Idaho Secretary of State - Elections