Want to vote? Register online today
SANDPOINT — If you've been meaning to register to vote online, you have until 11:59 p.m. today to get it done.
"Register now or get your absentee now," Bonner County Clerk Mike Rosedale said.
Residents wishing to register online at VoteIdaho.gov must do so today, Oct. 13, to be able to vote in the Nov. 7 election. Voters can register or update their registration online or by visiting their county elections office.
After Friday, voters may only register at early voting or on Election Day at the time of voting, Secretary of State officials said.
To request an absentee ballot, voters must be registered to vote by the Oct. 13 deadline. Absentee ballots can be requested through the Oct. 27, but only if residents are registered to vote — or have updated their registration — by Oct. 13. Voters can register online and request an absentee ballot at VoteIdaho.gov.
To register to vote, residents must a photo identification and proof of their address. Photo identification can include an Idaho driver's license, passports, military cards, concealed carry permits and tribal cards. Address identification can include a mortgage statement, lease agreement, bank statement or a power bill.
Unlike in the past, a driver's license must be a current Idaho license and cannot be from another state, such as Washington or Montana.
"You have to be able to prove those three things: your name, your face and your address," Rosedale said. "All three have to agree with each other."
Early voting starts Oct. 23 at the Bonner County Administration Building, 1500 U.S. 2, Suite 124, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those wishing to vote early can do so through Nov. 3.
Residents who wish to vote absentee need to submit their application by Oct. 27. However, Rosedale recommended voters who wish to vote absentee do so as soon as they get their ballot if they know for whom they want to vote.
Each election, there are a dozen or so ballots that can't be counted because they arrive after the election. Per Idaho Code, ballots must received by the time polls close at 8 p.m. on the day of an election.
"The worst thing is when we get absentee ballots back in the mail after the election because they never get opened," Rosedale said. "They're just sitting there and the voter is shown to have not voted because [the ballot] doesn't ever get counted."
And those votes can make the difference in some elections. Rosedale recalled an election five or six years ago that was decided by one vote.
While most precincts will have an election, Rosedale said there are a couple that will not feature any election. Those precincts are Algoma, Gamlin Lake, Kootenai, Sagle, Southside, Westmond and Wrench.
Due to the number of voters in each precinct, Rosedale said the Careywood and Laclede precincts will not be staffed and have been designated as mail ballot precincts for this election only.
If necessary, voters from those precincts only may vote at the Elections Office in the County Administration Building, 1500 U.S. 2, Suite 124, on Election Day.
To find more information about registering to vote in Idaho, visit VoteIdaho.gov. or contact the Idaho Secretary of State at elections@sos.idaho.gov or 208-334-2852. Residents can also contact the Bonner County Clerk's Office, 208-255-3631, or online at bit.ly/BonnerCountyElections.