Election sees change after Idaho Legislature session. Polling place decisions come later

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — As a result of the Idaho Legislature’s special session last week, the November election will be conducted a little bit differently.

How best to have the 2020 presidential election safely, after Idaho’s historic mail-in primary in May, was one of the things Gov. Brad Little cited as a need to have the session.

Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane spoke to lawmakers about the needs of county clerks to hold elections during a pandemic. He said during a committee meeting that 250,000 people have already requested absentee ballots for November, and clerks made requests so that they won’t be overwhelmed when up to 75 percent of voters choose the absentee, mail-in option.

Senate Bill 1001, which passed through both chambers, changed some regulations around opening and sending absentee ballots. Clerks will be allowed to open absentee ballots seven days before Election Day to begin the process of scanning and verifying signatures. They will not, however, start tabulating votes until Election Day, which is Nov. 3.

The bill also changed the deadline for absentee ballots to be mailed to voters. All absentee ballot requests that were received at least 30 days before the election shall have the ballot sent to the voter no later than 30 days before the election.

In-person voting also was a big topic for the Legislature. After the all-mail primary, there were calls made to have a mail-in election in November as well, because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But there will be voters at polls this year.

House Bill 1, pitched by Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, added language to existing Idaho law to ensure that all voters be allowed to vote in-person if they choose, even during a disaster declaration. The bill essentially puts a ban on all-mail elections.

County clerks have expressed concern about getting enough poll workers for the standard number of polling locations. As a result, they will be allowed to consolidate polling places if needed. Decisions on these sites will not be made for a few weeks.

The Idaho Republican Party and Idaho Democratic Party announced Monday they will be hosting a press conference Tuesday, Sept. 1, at noon at Cecil D. Andrus Park in front of the Capitol to discuss the election and options for voters. County clerks from the Treasure Valley are expected to attend, according to a release.

A bill during the session that would have allowed for voting centers — as an alternative to traditional polling places — passed in the Senate and was supported by all county clerks in the state, but it was shot down by the House. The bill would have required that voting centers be placed in every legislative district in a county, with one center for every 15,000 registered voters. It also would have mandated that there be one voting center within 25 miles of every registered voter.

The House also passed a resolution last week about the election. A resolution is not law and the governor is not required to comply with its suggestions. The resolution, pitched by Rep. Jason Monks, R-Nampa, suggests that Little use up to $2 million in federal CARES Act funding — the federal response to the pandemic — to pay poll workers up to $500 as an incentive.

It also suggests that Little use the Idaho National Guard to work polls if needed — something other states have done.

The resolution urges the governor to take “all necessary steps to procure a sufficient number of poll workers for the November 2020 election, including working with the Secretary of State and county election officials to advertise for and train new poll workers and volunteers and, if necessary, activate the members of the National Guard to be trained and act as election poll workers across the state of Idaho.”

HOW TO GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT

To request an absentee ballot online, visit idahovotes.gov.

Use of the online request requires the last four digits of a voter’s Social Security card and a valid driver’s license.

Voters may also request a paper form from a county clerk’s office and mail the form in. A form is available at idahovotes.gov to be printed out and mailed in.