The upcoming election has been the top water cooler topic at the office lately, said Laura Plunkett, who works at the Mountain States Tumor Institute in Boise.

So she was surprised when one of her co-workers called the county clerk's office on Wednesday to check on her voter registration status and found out she wasn't registered.

"She was aghast," Plunkett said. "That made five other people in the office get on the phone. They found out they weren't registered to vote either."

Voters who have moved - even if it's across the street - must re-register. And registered voters must vote at least once in a four-year period to keep their registrations active.

"I think people need to be aware. Some have been waiting for their absentee ballot requests to come and have wondered why they haven't gotten them," Plunkett said.

In September, Ada County sent ballot request cards to every registered voter in the county.

In Idaho, residents can register and vote on Election Day at the polls - and lots do, typically more than 30,000 during presidential elections.

But if people assume they're already registered and don't happen to bring a valid photo ID and proof of current address with them, they'll have to go home and get them.

Plunkett worries voters might get discouraged and not come back.

"And this is a very, very important election," she said.

ABSENTEE BALLOTS: PEN VS. PENCIL . . .

There's been a bit of confusion about whether absentee voters should fill in their ballots with pen or pencil. Here's the word, straight from county spokesman Rich Wright.

"In Ada County, our preference would be for voters to use an ink pen. We use black ink pens in every one of our voting booths on Election Day because pencils have a tendency to smear," he said. "Smearing aside, we also believe ink is a more indelible way to mark the ballot."

That said, using a No. 2 pencil is OK, according to the office of the secretary of state. Absentee voters who have marked their ballots with pencils don't need to worry. Their ballots will be counted.

COLLEGE STUDENT REGISTRATION

Some states have been weathering controversies about registering college students to vote.

After complaints, Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa replaced a Web site warning to students that they could face criminal penalties if they abuse residency laws when registering to vote. Previously, Ysursa's Web site warned, "Registering to vote is a serious matter which, if abused, can subject you to criminal penalties."

It now reads, "Registering to vote is a serious matter which should only be done after proper reflection."

Ysursa said that determining "residency" for students is the same as for any other adult in the state. It's not, however, an exact science, which can make things a little hazy and require people to assess their individual circumstances.

"The definition of 'residence' and 'domicile,' is it 100 percent clear? No," Ysursa said.

Idaho Code says that residence is determined by factors like employment, leases, and car registration, among others.

A person is eligible to vote if they're 18 on Election Day, a U.S. citizen and have lived in Idaho and in the county where they are voting for 30 days.

"When you come to a place for a temporary purpose, like going to college, does that place become your home? For some people, the answer is yes. For some, it's no. Who's best able to make that call? Those folks themselves," Ysursa said.

Anna Webb: 377-6431