Idaho senator proposes bill eliminating voter affidavit as acceptable ID at polls
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Laura Guido, Idaho Capital Sun
BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) — An Idaho senator is bringing back a proposal to eliminate the option to use a signed affidavit to prove identity at the election polls.
Sen. Brian Lenney, R-Nampa, proposed the bill Wednesday in the Senate State Affairs Committee to repeal the part of state law that allows for a signed affidavit to be used to prove identity as an alternative to photo identification in order to vote.
Lenney called the voter affidavit a “loophole.”
“I would submit that there’s no valid excuse to show up last minute at the polls without an ID,” Lenney said.
He noted the Legislature in 2023 approved a bill that eliminated the use of student IDs as valid photo identification for voting or for registration, but created a no-fee ID issued by the Department of Transportation that may be used for voting.
“You can’t go to a bar without an ID and sign a piece of paper saying, ‘I swear I’m 21,’ and get and get served drinks,” Lenney said.
Lenney introduced a similar bill last year, but it never received a hearing. In 2023, Rep. Joe Alfieri, R-Coeur d’Alene, proposed a bill to eliminate the voter affidavit, but it died in a 33-36 vote in the Idaho House of Representatives, the Idaho Capital Sun reported.