They acknowledge that chances are slim, but Canyon County officials hope lawmakers will either delay the primary two weeks or take precinct committeemen off the ballot, giving county political parties the authority to fill those positions.

Canyon County Clerk Chris Yamamoto and his chief deputy, Brad Jackson, are worried they won’t be able to complete all of the necessary pre-election work in time.

“We don’t know that we can’t make it, but we’re not real sure that we can,” Jackson said.

All of Idaho’s counties are in something of a bind, with nearly five months less than expected to redraw precincts to fit the new legislative boundaries and prepare for the May 15 primary election.

‘A UNIQUELY BAD SITUATION’

Ada County Clerk Chris Rich said he’s concerned about the election crunch and sees a lot of extra work for his office in the coming weeks and months. But he said, “We’re in a different boat than Chris Yamamoto’s in. They’ve got their back against the wall.”

Jackson agreed: “Canyon County is in fact in a uniquely bad situation.”

Nearly half — 24 — of Canyon’s 53 precincts are divided by the new legislative boundaries. That’s more precincts affected than in most other Idaho counties, Chief Deputy Secretary of State Tim Hurst said.

Many other precincts also are affected by the redistricting, Jackson said, and growth and population shifts in the past 10 years mean that all 53 precincts need to be redrawn — and five to 10 added.

Canyon County’s elections situation also is complicated by having “more taxing districts than any other county in the state,” Hurst said.

For example, Canyon County has four highway districts compared to Ada County’s one, and all or part of 13 school districts. Ada County has three.

While hurrying to prepare for the primary, Canyon County also has to get ready for March 13 school levy elections that involve six districts and 49 of the county's precincts.

Until last year’s election consolidation, Idaho’s school districts handled their own elections, and Jackson said handling both school and primary elections wouldn’t have been a problem if the original redistricting map had withstood the scrutiny of the Idaho Supreme Court.

Ada County has school district elections, too, Rich said, but those will be handled by the county’s old system, which it held onto after the state converted to a centralized voter registration system about five years ago.

That means Ada County can immerse its new system in primary preparations right away rather than waiting for the school-election process to pass.

But in Canyon County, the elections office has to update its entire voter database within a window of about three weeks in March, Jackson said.

Hurst said the secretary of state’s office has offered to help with that data entry or other needs. Other counties also have offered assistance, he said.

“We don’t want to see the date moved,” Hurst said.

LEGISLATION UNLIKELY

Yamamoto said he’d like to see the primary bumped to May 29 to allow Canyon and other counties a little extra time to complete the mandated tasks.

“But it would have to be legislated, and it’s unlikely that would happen,” he said.

Another option, also requiring legislative action, would be to give the Democratic and Republican central committees authority to appoint precinct committeemen, Jackson said.

“If precinct committeemen were not on the ballot, we’d be fine,” he said. “Well, maybe not fine, but ... much better.”

Rich agrees that removing those from the ballot would be a boon to county election offices, since their presence requires printing different ballots for each precinct.

“That’s extra programming time and extra cost,” Rich said. “They’re a challenge even without redistricting.”

But practically speaking, he said, it’s unlikely that change would be made, because getting their names on the ballot is a welcome recognition for those workers’ efforts.

District 10 Rep. Gayle Batt, R-Wilder, said Friday she hasn’t heard the committeemen suggestion but had been approached briefly about the idea of moving the primary date.

“I definitely feel for Chris Yamamoto and his staff,” said Batt, who serves on the State Affairs Committee. “But I’m not sure what the fate of that legislation would be coming out of committee.”

On Wednesday, State Affairs overwhelmingly rejected a bill that would have moved Idaho’s primary to August. An effort for a one-time two-week delay might not fare any better, Batt said.

Moving the primary to May 29 would bump against the long Memorial Day weekend and further confuse voters in an election year that is going to mean legislative district changes for many and precinct changes for most, Batt said.

She expressed confidence in the clerk.

“I think if anyone can do it, it’s Chris Yamamoto,” Batt said.

Kristin Rodine: 377-6447