Idaho Bills
18 bills · 2024 Regular Session
Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding voter qualifications and citizenship requirements for voting.
This legislation addresses the issue of residency as it relates to voters qualification, specifically the loss or gain of state residency, and citizenship requirements for voting. It modifies section 34-402, and 34-405 of Idaho Code.
Amends existing law to revise candidate filing deadlines for independent candidates for president and vice president.
This legislation will provide a new date by which independent candidates for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States of America may qualify for the Idaho general election ballot.
35 – 0
Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding electioneering activities near polling places, to provide certain qualifications, and to revise penalties for violations.
To maintain the integrity of elections and to provide voters a polling place free from interference or intimidation, this legislation clarifies and augments the prohibitions against electioneering and related activity at the polls. The penalty for violating electioneering prohibitions is also expanded to include an increased fine amount and a misdemeanor conviction for repeat offenders.
57 – 12
Amends existing law to remove entities registered with the federal election commission from the definition of a “political committee.”
Under current Idaho law anyone that registers as a Federal Political Action Committee (PAC) isn't required to follow Idaho election law reporting requirements. Federal PAC's are only required to report their spending and donations at year end. This legislation will require that they follow the same laws as in-state candidates and in-state PAC's.
61 – 8
Amends existing law to revise certain dates regarding when candidates must file their declarations of candidacy and when a candidate may withdraw from a race.
Idaho elections are consolidated to three dates. However, the administrative deadlines county clerks must follow leading up to an election vary across the hundreds of Idaho elected offices ranging from cemetery districts to statewide elected officials. The purpose of this legislation is to standardize the dates and deadlines that county clerks follow in preparing and implementing elections.
32 – 0
Amends and adds to existing law to revise provisions regarding presidential primaries, primary election dates, and candidate filing deadlines.
Theintentofthislegislationistoprovideconsistency,fiscalresponsibility,andrelevanceinourelectionprocess. ItseekstoamendseveralsectionsofIdahoelectioncodetoholdallprimaryelections, includingthepresidential primary, on the third Tuesday in April.
23 – 12
Amends and adds to existing law to revise provisions regarding voting machines, certain duties of election officials, and the payment of election expenses by counties and provides for public voting machine accuracy tests.
This legislation will prohibit voting systems in Idaho from being able to connect to the internet, it will also make it so that tampering with any voting system will now be considered a felony, included also gives the Secretary of State the authority to grant access to voting systems. This legislation also requires county clerks to conduct voting system accuracy testing that is open to the public prior to all elections. This bill also updates old, outdated legacy voting system language.
69 – 1
Amends existing law to provide that individuals who are not citizens of the United States cannot vote in any election in the State of Idaho.
This legislation would provide for a constitutional amendment that would clarify that only Idaho residents who are citizens of the United States are eligible to vote and that non-citizens are not eligible voters in any election held within this state. Legislative Council may use the following statement for the ballot explanation as to the effect of the question: “This proposed constitutional provision will clarify that only Idaho residents who are citizens of the United States are qualified voters and that non-citizens are not eligible to vote in any election held within this state.”
28 – 6
Amends existing law to define and provide for a candidate political committee.
Providing a new definition of a candidate political committee and ensuring that candidate political committees are subject to the same campaign finance reporting requirements as other political committees.
Bruce Skaug · HD-010B
46 – 24
Adds to existing law to establish a presidential preference primary election.
This legislation adds section to Chapter 7, Title 34, Idaho Code in establishing the presidential preference primary in Idaho. This legislation also identifies the date which the voters will express their preferred choice of candidates for nomination by a political party for president. This legislation also put in place the Secretary of State’s responsibilities during the presidential primary elections.
31 – 4
Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding tampering with and the certification, specifications, and examination of voting machines.
This legislation will prohibit voting systems in Idaho from being able to connect to the internet, it will also make it so that tampering with any voting system will no be considered a felony, included also gives the Secretary of State the authority to grant access to voting systems. This legislation also requires county clerks to conduct voting system accuracy testing that is open to the public prior to all elections. This bill also cleans up and updates old, outdated legacy voting system language.
Adds to existing law to establish the Office of Election Crimes and Security within the Office of the Attorney General.
The Idaho Election Crimes Act would create an “Office of Elections Crimes and Security” within the office of the Idaho Attorney General for the State of Idaho. This office would be tasked with responding to complaints or notifications of Election Code violations, conducting investigations, overseeing a voter fraud hotline, and collaborating with prosecutorial agencies when criminal violations are suspected. The Act would grant the Attorney General's office concurrent jurisdiction in any election crime as well as mandate an annual report to be submitted from the office to the Governor of the State of Idaho, The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
34 – 36
Adds to existing law to prohibit ballot harvesting, to provide certain exceptions, and to establish penalties for violations.
This legislation addresses the issue of “ballot harvesting” – which is the practice of third party individuals and groups, many of them political activists or political parties, “harvesting” absentee or mail ballots from voters and then delivering them to election officials for processing and counting. This legislation would generally prohibit this practice by limiting ballot handling to those authorized to do so pursuant to Idaho law. Idaho has not historically experienced ballot harvesting at scale. However, it has become a widespread practice in some other states, where its practice places many voters’ ballots, and the sanctity of their vote, into the hands of those who may have a partisan interest in the election’s outcome. These individuals may have a political incentive to deliver certain ballots to the county clerk, but not others, based on the ballot harvester’s perception, or a social/political database’s report, of the likely choices of the voter. The specifics of this legislation are informed by the recommendations of the bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform, in their 2005 report, Building Confidence in U.S. Elections. This legislation would limit ballot handling to election officials, U.S. Mail and common carrier employees and contractors, family members, caregivers, members of the voter’s household, and anyone hired by the voter to convey the ballot.
Joe Alfieri · HD-004A
28 – 6
Amends existing law to provide for a canvass report after votes are cast for elected offices.
This legislation updates the requirements of the canvass period following an election. The canvass is the review of votes cast by the clerk's office following election day and before the board of canvassers meets to make the results official. This changes the abstract of results to become a canvass report to be more in line with the best practices around the country. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has published suggested best practices for what should be included in a canvass. This bill will allow many of those practices to be put in place in Idaho, giving more information to the board of canvassers and the public following an election.
34 – 0
Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding signatures for initiative petitions.
This legislation streamlines the signature verification process for petition signatures on statewide referendums. By instituting a monthly submission schedule and extending the verification period to 90 days, this legislation will increase transparency in the initiative process and reduce administrative burden. It also creates a review period to enhance civic engagement and accountability.
49 – 20
Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding voting by absentee ballot.
This legislation clears up who can request a ballot from county clerks or other officers charged with the duty of issuing official ballots. This will stop political parties, or individuals without caregiver or familial relationships with the individual from requesting a mail in ballot.
Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding voting by absentee ballot.
This legislation clears up who can request a ballot for absentee voting from county clerks or other officers charged with the duty of issuing official ballots. This will stop political parties from mass mailing ballot requests whether filled out or empty. This will not affect people with familial or caregiver status from requesting a ballot. This does not affect electronic registration for ballot request or application.
Amends and adds to existing law to require the Secretary of State to prepare voter guides to be distributed to every household in the state no later than 30 days before an election.
This legislation requires the Secretary of State’s Office to prepare a comprehensive voters’ guide for primary and general elections, to be distributed to every household in Idaho. Currently, the Secretary of State’s Office produces and distributes a voters’ pamphlet when a ballot contains a constitutional amendment pursuant to Idaho Code Section 67-453, or an initiative or referendum measure pursuant to Idaho Code Section 34-1812C. This legislation expands this resource by also including information about candidates for federal, state and county offices and other election information, including voter registration and voting requirements, important dates, and county clerk contact information.
22 – 13