What happens if all of your polling places get destroyed?
By Scott McIntosh, Opinion editor
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OK, granted, the idea of Lucky Peak dam failing and flooding Ada County is far-fetched, but having nearly every building that could be used as a polling place in your small town destroyed just became a real possibility.
Earlier this week, wildfire wiped out 80% of the structures in the small farming town of Malden, Washington, including City Hall, the library and the fire station — good places for polling places.
It made me think about a new law passed by the Idaho Legislature in the most recent special session. Legislators passed a law requiring that an in-person voting option be offered, even in the case of an “extreme emergency.”
I get the intent of the law: Legislators want to prevent a governor from declaring an emergency and banning in-person voting, like Gov. Brad Little did for the May primary.
But the trouble is the way the law is written would require a county clerk to set up some sort of polling place for in-person voting even in the event of an extreme emergency, like a wildfire destroying nearly every building in your town.
It may seem a small matter, but I think it’s a good example of the unintended consequences that could arise from legislation trying to achieve another goal.
I also think in general we hold up in-person voting as some sort of sacrosanct action, when it’s been proven that mail-in voting increases voter turnout across the board, is more convenient and gives voters more time at their kitchen table to make decisions and do research rather than be surprised once they get to the polling place. We have nothing to fear from mail-in voting; we should embrace it.
Elections coming up
Speaking of voting, the Idaho Statesman editorial board is in the midst of interviewing candidates for federal, state and county offices. We’ve conducted five or six interview so far, with a dozen or so to go. We’ve interviewed candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Ada County Commission and we just started on state legislative races. Later on, we’ll interview candidates for Ada County Highway District.
As always, I welcome your questions and input. Send me an email with what questions you’d like us to ask. I’ll keep you anonymous. Email me at smcintosh@idahostatesman.com.
Craters of the Moon affected by earthquake
Craters of the Moon National Monument is one of my favorite places in Idaho. I’ve been a couple of times with my family, and I’ve gone on a couple of backpacking trips into the surrounding wilderness area in Craters of the Moon. Of course, we’ve been down into some of the caves there, like many visitors.
I was sad to read the story that two National Forest Service cave experts found two structural concerns in the national preserve after a magnitude-6.5 earthquake rumbled across Idaho on March 31. The monument typically hosts public tours, but halted them in March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an Associated Press article.
It’s understandable, but still sad. There’s still lots of other things to see at Craters of the Moon, and if you haven’t been there yet, I highly recommend it.
What others are saying
This week is National Suicide Prevention Week. Stewart Wilder shared a guest opinion piece with us this week, urging more awareness and training to help get us through these dark days, which could get worse as we head into the winter months. Wilder runs the LiveWilder Foundation, in honor of his late son, Cameron, whose forever decision was on the first day of National Suicide Prevention Week, 2013.
There’s a bit of a debate brewing over a proposed Idaho Central Credit Union office tower on the east side of downtown Boise, with a group of neighbors opposing it, saying the 16-story and nine-story towers are out of character with the surrounding structures. A public hearing is scheduled for October.
What you’re saying
Letters to the editor this week featured opinions about electric vehicles, wearing a mask and criticism of the Statesman espousing left-wing propaganda. Other letters dealt with COVID-19, Trump’s comments about veterans and voting. You can read those letters and more here.
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