Primary voters, listen up

COEUR d’ALENE — With both the Democratic and Republican primaries chock-full of candidates at the top of their parties’ tickets, Idaho’s May 15 primary election stands to go down as a historic event. Party rules and state law govern who may vote in either primary election.

All Idaho registered voters have the choice to vote in the Democratic primary, even if they are registered Republicans, Constitutionalists, Libertarians, or independents.

“Anybody of any party can vote in our primary,” said Paula Neils, chair of the Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee.

However, the Idaho Republican Party requires its primary voters to be registered Republicans. According to the Secretary of State’s elections office, voters currently registered with another party had to register as Republicans by March 9 if they want to vote in the May 15 Republican primary. Changing affiliations can be done by filing the Idaho Political Party Affiliation Declaration Form with the county clerk for the primary election. This includes absentee voters.

Independents not currently affiliated with a political party can affiliate with any political party up to and including election day. Those not currently registered to vote, and those who re-register because of a name change or change of address, can also affiliate with a party on the day of the primary election.

To register to vote in Idaho, one must be a U.S. citizen 18 years or older, and a resident of the state and county for 30 days prior to the election.

According to the state elections office, voters can register until April 20 at 5 p.m. in person at the county clerk’s office, or by printing and mailing in a registration form to the county clerk. Those voting for the first time must provide proof of residence such as a driver’s license, utility bill, or other government document listing the applicant’s name and physical address. Mailed registration forms must be postmarked by the April 20 deadline.

If you’re not sure whether you’re registered to vote, you can find out at IdahoVotes.gov. Hover over the “Voting” link at the top of the page, then click on “Am I registered to vote?” to do a search of your voter registration status. The website is: http://bit.ly/2sYkAJ0