The deadline for Idaho voters to request an absentee ballot for this year’s general election is 5 p.m. local time on Friday, Oct. 23.
Oct. 23 is also the deadline to register to vote in advance of the Nov. 3 general election. However, if eligible voters miss the Oct. 23 deadline to register to vote in advance, they can still register to vote at their polling place on Election Day.
To request a free absentee ballot, Idaho voters can visit www.voteidaho.gov, the official election website of the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office. Otherwise, voters can request an absentee ballot at their local county clerk’s office or mail an absentee ballot request form to their county clerk.
Idahoans must already be registered to vote to request an absentee ballot.
If Idahoans don’t vote by absentee ballot, they can participate in early voting, which began in most counties recently, or vote in person at their polling place on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Regardless of how voters chose to vote, there are plenty of reasons to vote this year.
In this year’s general election, all of Idaho’s statewide constitutional officers, like governor and attorney general, are up for election. In addition, all 105 seats in the Idaho Legislature, three of Idaho’s four seats in Congress and county positions all across the state are being voted on.
On top of that, all Idaho voters will vote on a ballot initiative, Proposition 1, that seeks to restore the right to an abortion in the state.
There are also two proposed amendments to the Idaho Constitution that all Idaho voters will weigh in on.
One proposed amendment, House Joint Resolution 6, would make English the official language of Idaho. The other proposed amendment, House Joint Resolution 4, would make it so that only the Idaho Legislature would be able to legalize marijuana and other drugs. If a majority of voters vote for House Joint Resolution 4, Idahoans would give up their right to ever run a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana, medical cannabis or any other drug.
Plan to vote
Idahoans can visit www.voteidaho.gov to register to vote online, request an absentee ballot, verify their personal information is accurate and up-to-date, find the location of their polling place and view their sample ballot to see everything that will appear on their actual ballot.
