Idaho
Voting Guide
Voter Registration Deadline: Postmarked by mail or completed online 24 days before Election Day.
Eligible voters can also register to vote and cast a ballot at the same time during the early voting period and on Election Day.
2020
Presidential Primary Mail/Online Registration Deadline: February 14
Presidential Primary: March 10
Partisan Primary (other offices) Mail/Online Registration Deadline: April 24
Partisan Primary (other offices): May 19
General Election Registration Mail/Online Deadline: October 9
General Election: November 3
More election information at www.idahovotes.gov
Online voter registration is available at https://elections.sos.idaho.gov/ElectionLink/ElectionLink/ApplicationInstructions.aspx
PDF voter registration form is available at: https://idahovotes.gov/media/voter_registration.pdf
Students have a choice about where to register to vote.
Students attending college may register at their campus address or choose to remain registered or register at their permanent or home address.
You may only be registered and vote in one location.
Idaho’s online voter registration portal requires your driver’s license or state ID number. Idaho’s voter registration form asks for your Idaho driver’s license or ID number, or if you don’t have one, the last four digits of your Social Security Number. Be sure to provide one of these numbers if you have it.
If you register online at the Idaho Secretary of State Website, you will need an Idaho driver’s license or identification card.
To register on Election Day or during early voting, bring a document with your current residential address and photo identification when you go to your polling place. Students of a post-secondary education institution may use student photo identification accompanied by a current student fee statement that lists the student’s current address.
All voters are required to present a photo identification before voting at the polls or during early voting, or sign a Personal Identification Affidavit. Acceptable identification includes:
An Idaho driver’s license or identification card issued by the Idaho transportation department
A U.S. passport or federal photo identification card
A tribal photo identification card
A current student photo identification card issued by an Idaho high school or accredited post-secondary education institution
An Idaho concealed carry permit
If a voter does not have the required identification, they can sign a personal identification affidavit.
Make a plan. Look up your voting site and hours at: https://elections.sos.idaho.gov/ElectionLink/ElectionLink/ViewPollingLocation.aspx
By Mail
Any registered Idaho voter may vote by mail
Voters may request an absentee ballot online or download a PDF absentee ballot request form at https://idahovotes.gov/absentee-voter-information/
Voters may also ask their county clerks offices to mail them an absentee ballot request form. Requests to mail an application form must be made by the 11th day before Election Day.
Absentee ballot request applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the 11th day before Election Day
Completed absentee mail-in ballots must be received by the county clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day
Early In-person
You can apply for an absentee ballot and cast it in person at an early voting site until 5 p.m. the Friday before Election Day
Election Day
Voting sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Some counties may open their polling places earlier; contact your county clerk for additional information. If you are in line by the closing time, then you have the right to vote.
Find contact information for your county clerk at https://idahovotes.gov/county-clerks/
Registering to Vote Does Not Affect Your:
Federal Financial Aid
Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA
Status as a Dependent on Your Parents’ Taxes
Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes
Tuition Status
Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community
Will registering to vote in Idaho affect my driver’s license or car registration?
As a full–time student in Idaho, you may have to make changes to your driver’s license or car registration if you are a resident of the state regardless of whether you register to vote in Idaho. For more information, you may wish to contact the Idaho Department of Motor Vehicles.