Could coronavirus delay Idaho’s May primary election? To be safe, vote absentee now
If you’re planning to vote in the upcoming primary election, you should prepare to do it by absentee ballot.
The Idaho Secretary of State’s Office and county clerks across the state are hoping to have a decision this week about a course of action regarding the vote amid the coronavirus outbreak, Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane and Secretary of State chief deputy Chad Houck told me by phone this week.
In the meantime, the Secretary of State’s office announced Wednesday that voters can now request an absentee ballot online at idahovotes.gov.
That may not sound significant, but it is.
Without the online request, voters had to download the request form and then mail it in to their county clerk’s office. Then the clerk would mail out the absentee ballot, which voters fill out and mail back again. Being able to request a ballot online saves a crucial step and speeds up the process.
Some voters also may not have a printer at home, so requesting a ballot directly online without having to print out the request form gets around that problem.
To deal with the impending May 19 primary election, state and county officials are working on two tracks: delaying the vote and launching an aggressive absentee ballot campaign, McGrane said.
On the first front, officials are trying to determine if the governor has the authority to delay the primary election. Houck said Secretary of State Lawerence Denney determined that his office’s emergency powers are limited, and he’s not able to delay the primary, which is a date set in state statute.
So they’re researching whether Gov. Brad Little’s emergency declaration gives him the authority to push back the election date, McGrane and Houck said.
Another primary election?
If you’re thinking you just voted in a primary, you’re right — you voted in the presidential primary, determining which candidate you want to represent your party for president.
The primary scheduled for May 19 includes such races as U.S. senator, U.S. representative, some judges, county commissioners and a slate of state legislative seats. There are also some school bond issues on local ballots.
Even though May 19 may seem like a way’s off, plans need to be made now, McGrane said. Already, officials have heard that some sites used as polling places cannot be used because of the coronavirus outbreak, McGrane said. That means the likelihood of fewer polling locations, which only exacerbates the risks of not social distancing.
Why not just mail an absentee ballot to every single registered voter in Idaho?
It’s not that simple, particularly with the primary election, McGrane and Houck said.
That’s because the political parties have different rules for their primaries. The Republican Party allows only registered Republicans to vote in its primary, while the Democratic Party allows registered Democrats to vote as well as unaffiliated voters and members of other political parties, such as the Constitution Party, Libertarian Party, even the Republican Party.
Further, there’s a nonpartisan ballot that includes just nonpartisan elections, such as those for judges and bond and levy measures.
In other words, you can’t send just the same absentee ballot to every voter in Idaho. Each voter gets a ballot based on which party’s primary he or she is voting in. Plus, voters get different ballots based on which taxing districts they live in. For example, voters who live in the West Ada School District will get a ballot with a $69 million bond measure on their ballot.
Houck also pointed out that interest in primary voting is traditionally low and turnout is much lower, typically in the 15% range, so sending out a ballot to everyone doesn’t make sense.
No matter what happens with the election date, McGrane and Houck stressed the importance of absentee voting. Here’s how to do it:
Go to idahovotes.gov, where you can now request an absentee ballot. You’ll be asked for the number on your state-issued ID and the last four digits of your Social Security number to validate your absentee ballot request with your voter registration.
Wait. It may take 10-14 days to receive your absentee ballot in the mail.
You can still download and mail in your request to your county clerk’s office.
This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 11:07 AM.
