State officials decide May 19 primary will be by mail

Idaho’s May 19 primary election will be an all-mail election due to concerns about the potential spread of coronavirus.
 Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney announced the decision to go with absentee voting on Monday. They said the primary election date of May 19 would not change.
 The move is necessary after it became clear that sufficient polling places and poll workers could not be obtained for the election, according to a Monday news release.
 The governor and secretary of state will work with the attorney general and the clerks of Idaho’s 44 counties to refine the absentee voting process for these unique circumstances.
 The details to be worked out include setting appropriate deadlines for registering to vote, requesting a ballot be sent to your home, and returning the ballot.
 “While the coronavirus situation may change how we practice our right to vote in this primary election, it is important to keep our election dates in place,” Little said. “I urge all voting Idahoans to request their absentee ballots as soon as possible so they can vote from home this year.”
 In about six weeks from now, Republicans and Democrats in Idaho will nominate their party’s candidate for county, state and federal offices to run in the November general election.
 There will also be a bond measure on the May 19 ballot that seeks $6.5 million in funding for a new ER wing at Weiser Memorial Hospital. Only county residents who live within the hospital district will vote on the bond measure.
 Absentee ballot request forms are available on the county website and also on the Idaho secretary of state website.
 Download the form, print it, fill it out, sign it, date it and return it to the county clerk’s office by mail.
 Voters also can call the county clerk’s office at 208-414-2092 and request the absentee ballot request form be mailed to them.  
 The Washington County Courthouse is currently closed to the public due to concerns over coronavirus.