Idahoans could vote in person in remaining 2020 elections. How? That’s still unclear
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Idahoans could still be voting in person in the August and November elections.
Ballots for the Aug. 25 election aren’t set yet, but voters in the Treasure Valley could be voting on a West Ada School District supplemental levy, at the very least.
“Our intention is to operate a standard election in August and November, as opposed to all-absentee,” said Chief Deputy Secretary of State Chad Houck. “However, the extent to whether that will happen will depend on the counties’ abilities to staff those precincts and poll worker spots.”
Idaho’s May 19 primary was the first statewide election held by mail only. Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a proclamation in April allowing for the change, leading to record voter turnout numbers across the state. Other states that maintained normal elections had voters waiting in long lines for hours, drawing complaints about health risks and civil rights violations.
In a Wednesday town hall meeting, Idaho Gov. Brad Little floated the possibility of calling a special legislative session so lawmakers could address the November election.
“If the Legislature convenes a special session at the governor’s request and the governor identifies the November election as a topic for the special session, it would be up to the Legislature to decide the course of action for that election,” Little’s spokeswoman Marissa Morrison wrote in an email to the Idaho Statesman.
The Idaho Secretary of State’s office said the decision to implement social distancing or other protective measures will be left up to county clerks, Houck said. Health officials and the Secretary of State’s office will also be issuing guidelines.
“They know their communities better than we do, and it’s reasonable to us to leave that in their capable hands,” Houck said.
Here’s what voting could look like in the Boise area
Houck said Idaho’s decision to go to an all-absentee election in May was prompted by county clerks’ concerns and lack of available poll workers. Idaho counties must confirm and publish precinct locations five Fridays before an election. Counties like Kootenai, Houck said, only had eight confirmed poll workers to staff precincts that usually required 400 volunteers.
The Secretary of State’s office has yet to hear the same level of concerns from county clerks for the August elections, Houck said. However, he urged Idahoans wanting traditional elections in their counties to volunteer as poll workers. Many regular volunteers are older, putting them at high risk for coronavirus.
Ada County is still deciding how to handle the August and November elections, county spokeswoman Chelsea Carattini told the Statesman. But Carattini said since three out of four voters who requested a vote by mail ballot in May have also requested a ballot for other elections in 2020, the county expects to issue at least 100,000 absentee ballots “right out of the gate.”
Phil McGrane, the Ada County Clerk, said elections staff would be meeting with Central District Health, the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office and the West Ada School District to finalize plans for both elections. About 76 precincts are eligible to vote on the West Ada levy, McGrane said, and the county elections office has already received 60,000 absentee ballot requests for August.
The Secretary of State’s Office is providing hand sanitizer to county elections offices on request, through a state partnership with Anheuser-Busch. McGrane said the CDC has also provided guidance for polling places.
“The largest pressure will be on us here, just because we are a population center,” McGrane said. “ ... We are very actively working on it right now. We’re really spending a lot of time talking about November.”
Canyon County spokesman Joe Decker said voters in only three Canyon County precincts can vote on the West Ada School District levy. As two of those precincts have less than 125 total eligible voters, the county may be able to send absentee ballots to all the voters in those precincts and only have to operate one polling location in August.
“If the polling places are going to be open, we will obviously take all the recommended safety precautions to protect voters and the poll workers,” Decker told the Idaho Statesman. “For instance, the clerk said they purchased a bunch of stylus pens, which would be sanitized after each voter uses it.”
Canyon County is recruiting poll workers for the upcoming elections, paying $149 per election. Poll workers must be 16 years of age or older, U.S. citizens and be able to attend a training prior to the election. To apply, go to www.canyonco.org/pollworker or call the Elections Office at 208-454-7562.
Voters may request a ballot online at Idahovotes.gov and at the local county clerk’s office, or by completing the paper form . Voters may submit a scanned copy or photo of the form. A handwritten request which includes a statement asking for a ballot, the voter’s name, registered address and signature is also acceptable.
This story has been updated to include instructions on how to request an absentee ballot.
This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 8:23 AM.
