Idaho reporting strong voter turnout as polls close

POCATELLO — Idaho election officials reported strong voter turnout as polls neared closing time.

At 7:30 p.m., Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane held a news briefing by video conference with an update on the state’s voter turnout in the 2026 midterm elections. At the time of the update, Idaho was reporting 644,000 votes cast, a turnout rate of 58%.

“We’ve seen really high turnout,” McGrane said. “It’s going to be a good number in terms of midterm participation.”

And McGrane said this number doesn’t reflect the true total of votes cast so far. Some rural counties’ electronic poll books “lack connectivity,” so those election-day votes won’t be reported until poll books are returned to county offices.

“This actual number is higher than what we’re displaying. It’s probably not significantly higher, but it is higher,” McGrane said.

And McGrane said voter turnout has already surpassed the 2022 midterm election, when 599,493 total votes were cast.

“We’re certainly well on pace to surpass 2022, the question will just be by how much,” McGrane said.

And before election day, 2026 had around 270,000 absentee and early in-person votes, compared with 190,00 in 2022.

McGrane said that anyone who’s standing in line before polls close at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Polling places will station someone at the end of the line to ensure that people can’t get in line after polls close.

And as for when Idahoans can expect to see final results, McGrane said it could be later than usual. “We’re bracing for a longer evening,” he said.

“Part of that is just turnout numbers where it stands so far, and then also the length of the ballot. In some counties, it’s a three-page ballot, and just the physical time it takes to scan and process three pages just takes longer,” McGrane said.