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Plain-language coverage of Idaho legislation, elections, and policy. Every article is sourced from primary records — bills, vote tallies, election returns — with citations to original documents on this site.
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2026 Idaho Primary: The 17 Closest Legislative Races
Seventeen contested races were decided by less than 10 percentage points, including five where sitting Republican legislators were trailing or losing. Full race-by-race breakdown of margins, vote totals, and incumbency.
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How Idaho Laws Are Made
A step-by-step guide to the Idaho legislative process: how a bill becomes law, what legislative terms mean, and how to read voting records on Tally Idaho.
Idaho Laws That May Affect Your Property Taxes
Plain-language summaries of HB 354 (2025) and HB 521 (2024), recent Idaho legislation affecting property tax assessments, homestead exemptions, and school levies.
Idaho Laws That May Affect Your State Income Taxes
Plain-language summaries of HB 559 (2026), H0040 (2025), H0479 (2025), and HB 521 (2024) — recent Idaho legislation affecting income tax rates, deductions, federal conformity, and exemptions.
Idaho's 2026 Legislative Session: What Passed
383 bills enacted. The biggest stories from Idaho's 2026 session: starter home subdivisions (36–34 House vote), ADUs, short-term rental limits, moment of silence, the Coeur d'Alene water settlement, and the legislature's new power to review court rules.
Idaho's 2026 Session: Every Property Tax and Housing Bill That Passed
Nine bills directly affecting property taxes, the homestead exemption, and housing land use passed Idaho's 2026 legislative session. Most unanimous; three divided the chambers (short-term rentals, ADUs, parental tax credit). Full breakdown.
Idaho's 2026 Session: Every Education Bill That Passed
Ten major education bills enacted in Idaho's 2026 session: federal tax credit scholarship enrollment, homeschool diploma equivalency, mandatory moment of silence, charter lottery priorities, virtual ed alignment, and more. Vote counts and sponsors.
Idaho's 2026 Election Calendar: Every Key Date Through November
Voter-registration deadlines, absentee-ballot windows, canvass certifications, and recount-eligibility cutoffs for the 2026 cycle. Cites Idaho Code chapters 34-4, 34-10, 34-12, and 34-23.
2026 Idaho HD 1A Primary: Sauter Beats Sauter
Challenger Jane Sauter defeated incumbent Mark Sauter — no family relation — in the 2026 Republican primary for Idaho House District 1 Seat A, 53.88% to 46.12%.
How Idaho Election Recounts Work
Who can request a recount, when the state pays, what it costs, and how the 2026 primary's closest race fits the law. Cites Idaho Code Chapter 34-23.
Idaho's 2026 Primary By the Numbers
A statistical recap of the May 19, 2026 Idaho primary: 29.82% turnout, 307,494 ballots cast, 60 contested-primary races called, 5 sitting Republican legislators defeated, the closest race decided by 40 votes.
2026 Idaho Uncontested Seats: Where November Is Already Decided
Eleven of Idaho's 105 state legislative seats had only one party file candidates for the 2026 election. Another seven face only minor-party challengers in November. Full breakdown by district.
Idaho's 2026 Session: Public Safety and Criminal Law Bills That Passed
Every public safety and criminal law bill enacted in Idaho's 2026 session: AI-generated child exploitation made a felony, no statute of limitations on aggravated child sex crimes, the Son of Sam law modernized, sex offender residency clarified, and firearms preemption enforcement added.
Idaho's 2026 Session: Health and Child Welfare Bills That Passed
Health and child welfare legislation from Idaho's 2026 session: newborn hearing screening mandate (37–32 House), Medicaid prior authorization relief for rural physicians, directed blood transfusion rights, foster care placement expansion, and DHW background check authority.
How to Find Your Idaho State Representative and Senator
How to look up your Idaho House representative and state senator by address or district number, what each legislator does, how to contact them, and where to track their voting record on Tally Idaho.
Idaho's 2026 Session: Water and Irrigation Bills That Passed
Water legislation from Idaho's 2026 session: the Coeur d'Alene Tribe water rights settlement (unanimous 64–0/34–0), geothermal municipal water expansion, Snake Plain Aquifer infrastructure resolutions, and six irrigation district and water code bills.