Voter Registration
Registration Deadline: A citizen may register with their County Clerk up until 24 days prior to any election. You can also register in-person at early voting or on Election Day,
To register on Election Day, bring a document with a valid address in your precinct and photo identification when you go to your polling place. Students of a post-secondary education institution may use student photo identification and a fee statement with an address in the precinct from their school to register on Election Day.
Re-registration with their County Clerk is required if an elector changes their address. Re-registration is required if an elector changes their name by marriage or for another reason. If an elector has not voted in a Primary or General Election in the last four years re-registration is also required to be listed as a qualified elector in Idaho.
Party Affiliation: In primary elections, unless the party chooses to allow others outside the party to participate in its primary election, only registered voters of a political party may vote to select their party’s nominees. Persons who are registered as “unaffiliated” (meaning not affiliated with any political party) may not vote for partisan candidates in primary elections unless the party decides to allow them. However, an unaffiliated voter may affiliate with a party up to or on Election Day and vote in that party’s election. Independent candidates appear on the ballot only at the general election. You can declare your party affiliation by filling out this form.
Changing Party Affiliation: For a primary election, an elector may change their political party affiliation or become “unaffiliated” by filing a signed form with the county clerk no later than the 10th Friday prior to such primary election, as provided for in Idaho Code § 34-704.
An “unaffiliated” elector may affiliate with the party of the elector’s choice by filing a signed form up to and including election day. The application form for an absentee ballot described in Idaho Code § 34-1002, may also be used for this purpose.
An “unaffiliated” elector may affiliate with the party of the elector’s choice on or before election day, by declaring such political party affiliation to the poll worker. The poll worker shall then record in the poll book the elector’s choice. After the primary election, the county clerk shall record the party affiliation so recorded in the poll book as part of such elector’s record within the voter registration system as provided for in Idaho Code § 34-437A.
Voter Registration Qualifications
Age: At least 18 years old on Election Day
Citizenship: Must be a United States citizen
Residency: Must be a resident of Idaho and the county for 30 days prior to election
Felony Convictions: You cannot register to vote in Idaho if you have been convicted of a felony and have not had your civil rights restored. Persons convicted of a felony in Idaho have their rights automatically restored upon completion of sentencing including probation or parole.
Obtaining a Voter Registration Form
Online: You must have an Idaho Driver’s License or Identification Card to complete the Online Voter Registration process.
In person: Contact and visit your County Clerk to register in person
By mail/ in writing: Fill out and sign a paper Voter Registration Application and submit the completed card to your local County Clerk’s Office by mail or in-person.
Verifying Your Voter Registration Status
Online: Idaho registration verification
Phone: Contact your County Clerk
Absentee Ballot Qualifications
Who can vote absentee: Any registered voter may apply to receive an absentee ballot.
Obtaining an Absentee Ballot
In person: Application for an absentee ballots can be requested from Clerk’s office
By mail/ in writing: Fill out the Absentee Request Form online, or fill out the paper request form here.
Or by submitting a written request with the required information (name of elector, residence address in Idaho and mailing address to which such registration or ballot is to be forwarded) signed by the applicant.
If you wish to have an absentee ballot mailed to you, the request must be received by the county clerk’s office by the 11th day prior to the election.
Online: Here.
Note: Use of the online Absentee Ballot request system requires the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number, and a valid Idaho Drivers License Number.
Military and overseas voting: Idaho policies and procedures for Military and Overseas voters. Idaho allows military and overseas voters to register using the FPCA.
Submitting an Absentee Ballot
By Mail: Your ballot must be returned to the County Clerk by 8:00 P.M. on Election Day.
EARLY VOTING/ABSENTEE VOTING IN PERSON
You can still cast an absentee ballot in person at the absent elector’s polling place (usually the county clerk’s office) up until 5 p.m. the Friday before the election. Contact your County Clerk for the dates, times and location of early voting in your county.
VOTING ON ELECTION DAY
Polling places are open 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. but may open earlier, if the county chooses.
A photo identification or signed personal identification affidavit is required to vote.
Acceptable forms of personal identification are:
-An Idaho driver’s license or identification card issued by the Idaho Transportation Department,
-A passport or photo identification card issued by an agency of the United States government,
-A Tribal photo identification,
-A Idaho student photo identification from an accredited institution of higher education including high school, college, university or technical school.
-Personal Identification Affidavit
-A qualified elector may sign a personal identification affidavit at the polling place and vote if they are unable to present an acceptable form of photo identification.
-A license to carry a concealed weapon issued by a county sheriff in Idaho.
ACCESSIBLE VOTING
Ballots and polling places in Idaho are accessible to all voters. If you or someone you know has difficulty seeing or marking a ballot there are several ways to vote. Voters can be assisted at the polls by a person of their choice or by a poll worker. A ballot marking machine with an audio ballot and enlarged print is also available during early voting and at all polling places for State and Federal elections. You may vote from home with a mail-in absentee ballot. Contact your County Clerk before Election Day if you would like assistance to vote or have questions about accessible voting options in Idaho.
For more information, click here.
Additional Information
Deciding how to vote: https://votesmart.org
Polling Place: Idaho Polling Place Finder
How to Vote: Voting systems by county
Voting Rights: HAVA Voter Rights
Problems with voting: Idaho HAVA complaint form
Verifying Your Absentee Ballot: Absentee Ballot Enquiry
Citizen’s Guide: English, Spanish
An amendment to Section 2, Article VI of the Constitution of the State of Idaho, relating to qualifications of electors, to provide that individuals who are not United States citizens may not be qualified electors in any election within the state of Idaho.
This measure proposes two distinct changes to elections for most public offices.
First, this measure would abolish Idahos party primaries. Under current law, political parties nominate candidates through primary elections in which party members vote for a candidate to represent the party in the general election. The initiative creates a system where all candidates participate in a top-four primary and voters may vote on all candidates. The top four vote-earners for each office would advance to the general election. Candidates could list any affiliation on the ballot, but would not represent political parties, and need not be associated with the party they name.
Second, the measure would require a ranked-choice voting system for the general election. Under current law, voters may select one candidate for each office, and the candidate with the most votes wins. Under the ranked-choice voting system, voters rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference, but need not rank every candidate. The votes are counted in successive rounds, and the candidate receiving the fewest votes in each round is eliminated. A vote for an eliminated candidate will transfer to the voters next-highest-ranked active candidate. The candidate with the most votes in the final round wins.
