It's time to take action against election bills currently moving through the Idaho Legislature. These bills make voting more difficult. There is no evidence of voter fraud in Idaho and these are unnecessary.
ACTION ALERT: Election Bills (Click on the hyperlinked numbers to read the bills)
House Bills: H 441 (Troy/Souza), H 692 (Moon/Bayer), H 547(Moyle), H 693(Giddings), H 439 (Okuniewicz/Souza)
Senate Bill: S 1375(Souza)
Bills’ Status: These bills are moving very quickly through either the House or Senate State Affairs Committees and then on to either the full House or Senate for debate. If they pass both houses, they go to the governor to sign into law. The only place testimony can be heard is in the committees. (NOTE: Bills with an * have an Emergency Clause that makes them enforceable laws immediately upon passing in both houses & being signed by the governor)
Bill Descriptions:
H 441: Prohibits voters in nursing care facilities from choosing who can assist them with their absentee ballot. Requires only a family member or specifically trained volunteers to help voters.
H 692: Requires married women or others who change names to provide a birth certificate and marriage license or name change order to prove citizenship Student ID not accepted. Proof of residency requirements are too restrictive and favor property owners. Removes affidavit process.
H 547*: A friend could no longer assist a disabled or unable person by carrying a ballot to the elections office or mail receptacle. It is a felony if the ballot is carried by someone other than a family member.
H 693*: Prohibits drop boxes being used for elections. Forces all absentee ballots to be mailed through the US Postal system. Many voters do not trust the timing of delivery, so prefer to drop off the ballot at their convenience. This is an undue inconvenience and affects thousands of rural Idaho voters.
H 439*: Forbids unaffiliated voters from affiliating with a party on election day. They must affiliate by the last day of candidate filing. NOTE: Over 300,000 unaffiliated voters will have to declare a party by March 11 (this Friday!) to vote in the May primary election.
S 1375*: Requires proof of citizenship to register and vote. Does not allow one to use a single form to request absentee ballots for a whole year of elections. Removes student and military IDs due to citizenship requirement. If you use an affidavit, you must go to the county clerk’s office within 2 days to verify ID.
League position: OPPOSE. The League has worked for over 75 years to protect voting rights. These bills create unnecessary hurdles to register to vote or cast a ballot and are a form of voter suppression. They do not protect voting rights and are clearly intended to discourage or hinder eligible voters from registering and voting.
Take Action: Write a brief, immediate message to your own legislators (Find them here) and also to Governor Little (https://gov.idaho.gov/contact/contact-us/) who has stated his concerns about changing the rules when voters might not be aware of the changes in time for the election.
Suggested message: Ask your legislators to oppose these bills whenever they come up for a vote in a committee or on the floor. Ask Governor Little to veto these bills if they get to his desk. These bills make voting more difficult. There is no evidence of voter fraud in Idaho and these are unnecessary. Personal stories about how these bills will affect you are extra persuasive.
