Idaho showed a 66% rise of 18 and 19-year-old registered voters between 2018 and 2022. Then, in 2023, Idaho legislators passed new voting laws targeted at student voters. After the laws took effect, Idaho saw a 23% decline in 18- and 19-year-old registered voters. 

Idaho is now last in the nation in the percentage of 18-year-old registered voters compared to registered voters aged 45 and older.

Despite zero evidence of Idaho students fraudulently using their student IDs to vote, the law removed student IDs as an acceptable form of identification.

Previously, students could use their ID as a form of identification for registering to vote, and to vote on election day. 

BABE VOTE and the League of Women Voters of Idaho challenged the laws in court. However, our case was dismissed without a trial. If granted a trial, we would have shown evidence of legally eligible Idaho voters who were unable to vote under the new laws. 

Upon pushback from the community, Representative Brent Crane (R-Nampa) who helped pass the laws, said,“[the laws] were doing exactly what they were designed to do.” 

We continue to hear positive messages from our Secretary of State about how easy it is for Idahoans to register and vote. But for some legally eligible Idahoans, it has not been easy. Although these laws specifically targeted students, they have created barriers for other Idahoans—including people who have moved, changed their names, or no longer drive.

Sam Sandmire, a BABE VOTE member, spent more than an hour on the phone with the Secretary of State’s staff troubleshooting the system as she tried to change her address on her voter registration. It took her more than a week and additional phone calls before she was able to request an absentee ballot.

This is not a one-time occurrence. Many long-time voters have reported that they have been removed from the voter database, even though they have voted consistently in recent elections. So these are not hypothetical concerns. They are issues we are hearing about and experiencing ourselves. If voters are unaware of potential problems or delays, they may wait until it is too late to resolve them.

BABE VOTE does not want to discourage anyone from registering or voting. Our goal is to warn legally eligible voters to start now: check your voter registration, register or re-register to vote, and make a plan to vote, whether by absentee ballot, early in person, or at the polls on Election Day.

Idahoans should not have to navigate unnecessary obstacles to exercise their right to vote, but until those obstacles are addressed, voters need to know they exist.

Voting should not be a last-minute scramble. Don’t wait until Election Day. Check your registration, make a plan, and give yourself time to resolve any problems so you can cast your ballot. Babe, VOTE!

BABE VOTE is a non-partisan, non-profit that empowers young people to organize their communities for democracy.