Deadline nears to request absentee ballots for May 19 primary election

By: 
Steve Lyon

The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the all-mail primary election in Idaho is next Tuesday.
 Voters can request a ballot online at the Idaho Secretary of State’s Idahovotes.gov website or by calling the Washington County clerk’s office and request a form be sent in the mail.
 Some ballot request forms have been placed in locations around the county, including at the post offices in Weiser, Midvale and Cambridge.
 As of Thursday, the Washington County clerk’s office had processed more than 2,500 requests for absentee ballots.
 County election officials estimate that they may reach 3,000 ballot requests for the primary election, which portends for a sizeable voter turnout.
 Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney and Gov. Brad Little made the decision in late March to conduct the primary election by absentee ballot, citing the risks posed to poll workers and the public from the coronavirus.
 The secretary of state’s office mailed an absentee ballot request form to every registered voter in the state in April who had not already requested one. Voters choose a Republican, Democratic or nonpartisan ballot for the primary election.
 Voters must return the  completed ballot back to the county clerk. Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on June 2 to be counted.
   Residents of the state who need to register to vote can also do that through Idahovotes.gov. Voter registration will happen right up to May 19. It requires an Idaho driver’s license to prove residency when registering online.
 County residents who need to register to vote can also call the county clerk’s office and request a registration card. They can fill it out and send a copy of their identification and proof of county residency back to the clerk’s office or use the drop off box on the steps of the courthouse.
 Voters will pick their party’s nominees in a number of political races in the May 19 primary to go on the November general election ballot.
 In local political races, Republicans have a larger ballot to fill out than Democrats.
 The District 1 seat on the Washington County commission features a GOP contest between incumbent Lisa Collini and challenger Lyndon Haines.
 In Legislative District 9, incumbent Rep. Ryan Kerby, R-New Plymouth, faces a primary challenge from Fruitland businessman Jim Smith for seat A.  
 District 9 state Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, and District 9, seat B, Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, are both up for election this year, but neither face primary opponents. Legislative District 9 includes Washington, Adams and Payette counties and part of Canyon County.
 The GOP primary ballot also includes Sheriff Matt Thomas, Prosecuting Attorney Delton Walker and District 2 Commissioner Nate Marvin. None face a challenger in the GOP primary.
 Also on the ballot, U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, is running for re-election and faces no primary challenger.
 Incumbent U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher faces a primary challenge from Nicholas Jones in the Congressional District 1.
 Democrats will choose between former Idaho legislator Paulette Jordan and Jim Vandermass for the nomination to the ballot for U.S. senator. The winner in the primary race will face Sen. Jim Risch in the November election.
 Two Democrats are running for Congress to represent Idaho’s District 1. The winner of the primary contest between Rudy Soto and Staniela Nikolova will face the winner in the GOP primary in November.
 Allen Schmid is running for the Democratic nomination for seat B in legislative District 9. He faces no challenger in the primary and will square off against incumbent GOP Rep. Judy Boyle in the general election in November.
 County voters also will decide a $6.5 million bond measure on the ballot that would build a new emergency department and pay for other upgrades at Weiser Memorial Hospital.

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