From voter registration and absentee ballot questions to how to safely vote in person, here's what you should know before you vote.
BOISE, Idaho The November 2020 general election will be unprecedented as a record number of Idahoans are expected to cast their vote by mail via absentee ballot.
While polling places throughout the state will be open for in-person voting on Nov. 3, many voters will look to avoid the polls due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Whether you plan to vote in person or by mail, this guide will provide you with everything you need to know to make sure your vote is counted on election day.
Here are the topics covered in this guide:
What's on your ballot
Federal and state elections are held in even-numbered years. On the federal side of the Nov. 3 ballot, you will see races for president, U.S. senator, and U.S. representative.
You will also find races for state lawmakers, including senators and representatives from Idaho's 35 legislative districts.
For a look at all of the federal and state races, click or tap here. To find out which legislative district you live in (as well as your voting location), click or tap here. You can also view a pdf map of all of Idaho's legislative and congressional districts.
Voters will also be asked to decide local races and issues, including elections for county commissioners, sheriffs, prosecutors and trustees for various taxing districts. Local tax districts - such as schools, libraries, and soil and water - may choose to put funding requests on the November ballot as well.
County clerks are still in the process of putting those ballots together. KTVB will provide a county-by-county guide to all local elections once that information is available.
Important Idaho election dates
State and county election officials are urging Idahoans who plan to vote by mail to do so as earlier as possible, given the increased volume of absentee ballots expected for this election. Below is a list of key dates and deadlines you should know about.
Sept. 18 - County clerks must mail absentee ballots to voters who have requested them
Oct. 2 - Deadline for county commissioners to designate polling places
Oct. 9 - Pre-registration deadline: Voter registrations must be received by the county clerk (Deadline is postmarked by this date for mailed paper applications; 5 p.m. for paper applications handed into the county clerks office, or until midnight for online applications.)
It's worth noting that Idaho law allows you to register in person on the day of an election. If you have missed the online or mail-in voter pre-registration deadline, you can still register to vote and cast a ballot on election day. Simply go to your regular polling place or early voting site to register and vote. You will need to bring with you a current and valid drivers license or identification card issued by the Idaho Department of Motor Vehicles.
Oct. 19 - Early in-person voting begins for counties that choose to conduct early voting.
Oct. 23 - Absentee ballot application deadline: Applications must be received by the county clerk by 5 p.m.
Oct. 30 - Early voting ends at 5 p.m.
Nov. 3 - Absentee ballot return deadline: Absentee ballots must be received at your county clerk's office by 8 p.m.
Nov. 3 - Election day: Polling places and the county clerks' offices open 8 a.m. 8 p.m.
How to register to vote in Idaho
If you're not sure whether you are registered to vote in Idaho or to check if your voter registration is up-to-date, the Idaho Secretary of State's Office has anonline toolto help you look up that information. On that page, you will also be able to update or submit a new registration, request an absentee ballot and look up your polling place.
As noted in the dates and deadlines section above, voter registrations must be received by your county clerk by October 9. If you miss that deadline, you can still register at the poll. Simply go to your regular polling place or early voting site to register and vote. You will need to show a valid drivers license or identification card issued by the Idaho Department of Motor Vehicles.
Voting by absentee ballot
You canrequest your absentee ballot on the Idaho Secretary of State's website. If you prefer to not request a ballot online you can print offthis pdf and send it to your county clerk. An absentee ballot will then be mailed to you.
Once you have received your absentee ballot, you have until 8 p.m. on election day, Nov. 3, to get the ballot into the hands of county elections officials.
Because of the sheer number of absentee ballots expected, you are discouraged from waiting until the last minute to send your ballot in. Officials say it's best to have the ballot in the mail at least a week before election day to ensure it gets there in time. If you're concerned that it is too late to mail your ballot, county clerks provide drop boxes outside there offices where you can hand-deliver it on election day.
Voting in person
If you prefer to cast your vote in person, you can do so at your usual polling place. If you are unsure of where your polling place is, you can look up that information by clicking or tapping here.
It's worth noting that due to the pandemic, some usual polling places may have changed locations. Because of the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, these changes could happen at any time, including on election day. You're encouraged to double-check your polling location before heading out the door to cast your vote.
Elections officials throughout the state are implementing enhanced safety measures at polling places to ensure a safe environment for voters and poll workers.
Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane told KTVB that his staff has been working with Central District Health to determine all of the protocols that will be in place on Nov. 3.
"We were able to test those [safety measures] out during the August election," McGrane said. "So, we are cleaning things regularly. Poll workers will be wearing masks and are provided face shields as well. We have masks available for voters and we will be encouraging all voters to wear a mask.
Voting booths will also be spaced out to allow for social distancing, and voters won't have to share the pencils used to fill out ballots.
"We are going to be providing pencils, we call them our commemorative pencils, so voters dont have to share writing utensils if they dont want to," McGrane said. "Voters can also bring their own. We are trying to kind of layer all the safety measures we can to fit the best practices.
You can also largely avoid the crowds by voting in person ahead of election day. Early voting is offered by some counties, including Ada and Canyon counties, and runs from Oct. 19 until 5 p.m. on Oct. 30.
Are Idaho elections secure?
Idaho elections officials say that voter fraud is extremely rare and that state and local elections offices take a lot of precautions to prevent someone from changing the outcome of the election.
This includes absentee ballots, a term that is often used interchangeably with mail-in ballots. Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane explained during the all-mail-in primary election in May that Idaho differs from some other states in that it requires voters to request an absentee ballot - as opposed to simply mailing ballots to all registered voters.
"You have to take that extra step of requesting your ballot," he said. "We are then mailing it to that current address you provided, McGrane said. And then we have that back-end verification to make sure the person returning it is the same person who requested it.
Idaho also has security systems in place to prevent fraud, like signature verification on every ballot sent through the mail.
When it comes to in-person voting, the Idaho Secretary of State's Office has taken precautions to keep elections secure, including using paper ballots and voting machines that are not connected to the internet.
Paper ballots create a verifiable paper trail that allows election officials to audit the machine tabulated results. Every tabulating machine is tested to verify the accuracy of the counts immediately before and after each election.
According to the Secretary of State's Office, one of the best ways to prevent voter fraud is for you to vote regularly and to update your voter registration information every time you move.
You can report any suspected voter fraud by emailing elections@sos.idaho.gov
What do the Idaho special session bills mean for voters?
During a special session in August, the Idaho Legislature passed two election-related bills which were then signed into law by Gov. Brad Little.
The bills affect only the November 2020 election and are intended smooth the voting process for both citizens and clerks' offices.
The first bill guarantees that there will be in-person voting options in November. What that will look like in each community is still being worked out and could remain fluid due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We are going to have some unique scenarios and some co-locations probably of polling locations in some counties," Chief Deputy Secretary of State Chad Houck said. "So voters want to make sure to pay attention to where their polling location is."
So the biggest thing [county clerks] are still going to be looking at is what do they have for both locations and poll workers," Houck added. "The biggest thing with locations is, especially in some of our smaller counties, do they have a location that allows them to meet the CDC guidelines and the social distancing guidelines that are out there while still accommodating their voters and accommodating the safety of their poll workers at that location?"
Houck said some counties may combine, or co-locate, two or more polling locations in a larger venue like a high school gymnasium in an effort to meet CDC guidelines for social distancing.
The other election-related bill passed during the special session gives county clerks more time to process the expected high volume of absentee ballots. Clerks will be allowed to start processing ballots one week before election day.
According to Houck, the extra time is for physical processing, not vote tabulation.
We are not going to have vote counts early," he said. "What this means is simply they are able to, under review and with multiple people in the room so that we have that accountability factor, they are able to start opening those secrecy envelopes and get those ballots flattened out.
"That is especially important in those locations that are using scan tabulators," Houck added. "They want those ballots nice and flat. So if they came in folded they are going to put them under weights to flatten them out."
See all of our latest political coverage in ourYouTube playlist:
Read the original post:
Voter Guide 2020: Everything you need to know about the November election in Idaho - KTVB.com
- Browns Doughnut And Pastry Co. Opening Second Location In Bucks - Patch - March 12th, 2024
- Where District 5 Board of Education candidates stand on the charter school co-location issue - The Eastsider - March 4th, 2024
- Data Center Colocation Market to Reach $46.30 Billion by 2028, More than 5,175.6 MW Power Capacity to be Added in ... - Yahoo Finance - March 4th, 2024
- Rittal Announces Colocation Rack Initiative to Meet the Growing Demand for Colocation Market - PR Newswire - March 4th, 2024
- Sheetz to host grand opening of new Montgomery Co. location - WHIO - February 22nd, 2024
- Sheetz to host grand opening of new Montgomery Co. location - Yahoo News - February 22nd, 2024
- Pasta Supply Co. is opening a second SF location in the Mission - San Francisco Chronicle - February 22nd, 2024
- Educators and Families Win Limits on Co-Location - United Teachers Los Angeles - UTLA - February 22nd, 2024
- Co-working members' club The Malin opens wood-filled Nashville location - Dezeen - February 22nd, 2024
- Poplar Avenue retail location of Whimsy Cookie Co. closed; property to be demolished - Memphis Business Journal - The Business Journals - February 11th, 2024
- Data Center Colocation Market projected to hit USD 178.7 billion at a 15.3% CAGR by 2030 according to a new... - WhaTech - February 3rd, 2024
- Singapore Data Center Colocation Market: from US$ 1,543.9 Mn in 2021 to US$ 3,586.2 Mn by 2027 according to... - WhaTech Technology and Markets News - January 25th, 2024
- Simmtech preparing for another colocation investment with Micron: CEO Chun - Business Standard - January 13th, 2024
- Brunswick Co. Utility Billing moves to new location - WECT - January 5th, 2024
- USD 202.71 Billion Colocation Market to Reach By 2030 at CAGR of 15.7%, Current Trends and Growth Analysis - EIN News - December 18th, 2023
- Data Centre Colocation Market is expected to reach US$ 279.1 billion by 2034, rising at a 14.9% CAGR | Future Market ... - Yahoo Finance - December 18th, 2023
- The forest beside the clear-cut - CBC.ca - December 10th, 2023
- Coffee Co. announces grand opening of 5th Central Pennsylvania location - ABC27 - December 10th, 2023
- Permit to relocate Line 5 in Straits of Mackinac approved with conditions - WILX - December 2nd, 2023
- Offshore Wind and CCS Colocation Forum commissions vital ... - The Crown Estate - December 2nd, 2023
- TDS hosts grand opening for West Bend location - Greater Milwaukee Today | GMToday.com - December 2nd, 2023
- Danville Brewing Co. To Open 2nd Location, Biergarten In Pleasanton - Patch - December 2nd, 2023
- Drug Supplier Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison - Department of Justice - December 2nd, 2023
- Big changes to 'Best of BMO' top analyst stock picks - The Globe and Mail - December 2nd, 2023
- Violent Boston Gang Member Who Posed with Firearms on ... - Department of Justice - December 2nd, 2023
- As One Clovis Brewer Pulls Back, Another Fills the Space - gvwire.com - December 2nd, 2023
- Colombian National Extradited from Colombia to the United States ... - Department of Justice - December 2nd, 2023
- More than 8,300 wreaths to be placed on veterans' graves at Louisville cemetery this holiday season - WHAS11.com - December 2nd, 2023
- Domestic violence prevention and recovery hub launches in the South - Premier of South Australia - December 2nd, 2023
- Caribou Coffee Brookfield location opens today | Waukesha Co ... - Greater Milwaukee Today | GMToday.com - December 2nd, 2023
- Sacramento's New Helvetia Brewing Co. wants to turn into a community and employee-owned co-op - KCRA Sacramento - December 2nd, 2023
- Roofing plant breaks ground in Bryan - KBTX - December 2nd, 2023
- The Rise of the Meta City - HBR.org Daily - December 2nd, 2023
- Prime IV Hydration & Wellness to Debut in Connecticut with Latest ... - Club Industry - December 2nd, 2023
- "Adaptavate Wants To Lead The Carbon Revolution And Enable ... - Carbon Herald - December 2nd, 2023
- Portland's departing health director is proud of the work she's done - Press Herald - December 2nd, 2023
- Hut 8 and USBTC Announce Completion of Business Combination - GlobeNewswire - December 2nd, 2023
- BT Group Newsroom BT partners with Digital Realty to help ... - BT newsroom - December 2nd, 2023
- Kevin Nerwinski: There's a lot going on in Lawrence Township - Community News - December 2nd, 2023
- Closing the feedback-feeding loop of the radio galaxy 3C 84 - Nature.com - December 2nd, 2023
- InterSystems cloud integration service comes to NZ and more briefs - Healthcare IT News - November 24th, 2023
- Lowndes Co. Feed the City serves over 500 people - WALB - November 24th, 2023
- Rogers brings three proposed towers to HE | The Highlander - The Highlander Newspaper - November 24th, 2023
- Safe Centre of Peel opening second location to support survivors of ... - pentictonherald.ca - November 24th, 2023
- WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND BUSINESS MATCHING AT ... - PR Newswire - November 24th, 2023
- Gov. Andy Beshear announces Build-Ready location in Rowan Co. - WYMT - November 24th, 2023
- Vertiv expands African workforce as business grows - ITWeb - November 24th, 2023
- Treasury Releases a Swath of Guidance on the Investment Tax Credit - JD Supra - November 24th, 2023
- The Hard Bean Brunch Co. opens its second location in Langley ... - Daily Hive - November 24th, 2023
- How the White House's AI Executive Order could increase U.S. ... - Brookings Institution - November 24th, 2023
- 7,000 veterans buried at Louisville cemetery may not have a wreath this holiday season. How you can help. - WHAS11.com - November 24th, 2023
- An equation co-written with AI reveals monster rogue waves form all the time - Popular Science - November 24th, 2023
- Supporting Yorkshire: Why I&L space development is crucial for ... - The Business Desk - November 24th, 2023
- Former UKFast founder and CEO found guilty of rape in Manchester ... - CRN UK - November 24th, 2023
- UPDATE: NH DHHS Advises Consumers of Expanded Wilcox Ice ... - New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services - November 24th, 2023
- How CBI Bungled Up The NSE Scam Probe - BW Businessworld - November 24th, 2023
- Experts shed light on how autism affects the diagnosis, treatment of ... - News-Medical.Net - November 24th, 2023
- Q&A: New report examines myths hampering advancement of women in workplace, actual barriers and possible solutions - Phys.org - November 24th, 2023
- Factory evacuated due to building fire in Witherlea, Marlborough - Stuff.co.nz - November 24th, 2023
- After 78 years in business, Curry Ace Hardware is acquired by ... - The Patriot Ledger - November 24th, 2023
- Travis Kelce: Chipotle renames Kansas City location to honor Chiefs star's 2011 misspelled tweet, after the hi - Daily Mail - November 24th, 2023
- A spotlight on the winners of Yelp's Veteran Business Fund - Yelp Blog - November 24th, 2023
- #OTGYpsi: Ypsilanti proves to be an attractive location for new ... - WEMU - November 24th, 2023
- Randi Weingarten's Not-So-Dandy Year The Heartland Institute - The Heartland Institute - November 24th, 2023
- The Secret Locations Of Bhutan's Royal Bitcoin Mines - Forbes - November 24th, 2023
- Pushing The Limits Of HPC And AI Is Becoming A Sustainability ... - The Next Platform - November 24th, 2023
- How the winter weather affects The Cup - The Brown and White - November 24th, 2023
- For the owners of MatchBox Candle Co., expanding into Steamboat ... - Steamboat Pilot & Today - November 24th, 2023
- Paws Cascadia brings Pacific Northwest flavor and years of ... - The Reflector - November 24th, 2023
- Hut 8 drives innovative recycling initiative for the second year ... - GlobeNewswire - November 24th, 2023
- MoFo Advises Realty Income Corporation in New Joint Venture with ... - Morrison Foerster - November 16th, 2023
- Worcester Man Charged with Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and ... - Department of Justice - November 16th, 2023
- Germany Data Center Market, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2024-2028: Growth In Colocation and Hyperscale Investments will Lead to Growth... - November 16th, 2023
- Hartford Baking Co. plans new location in South Windsor - CT Insider - November 16th, 2023
- Chuck E. Cheese animatronic band leaves all locations, except for Northridge - CBS Los Angeles - November 16th, 2023
- First Friends' Central Perk coffeehouse opening in Boston this week - NBC10 Boston - November 16th, 2023
- New affordable housing located above public library is first of its kind in NYC - PIX11 New York News - November 16th, 2023
- 2nd Panera Bread location coming to O'Fallon, Missouri - KSDK.com - November 16th, 2023
- Margarita's opens in new location after long wait - Greater Milwaukee Today | GMToday.com - November 16th, 2023
- Chick-fil-A location launches option on app to have food delivered by drone - FOX 5 Atlanta - November 16th, 2023