New laws greet voters

COEUR d'ALENE - Several new laws have been passed by the Idaho Legislature that have a significant impact on voters and elections in Idaho. Some are already in effect and others will be implemented in this year's general election and beyond.

One of the largest changes will be due to the new election consolidation law that was passed last year. While the legislation itself ran to over 100 pages and affected multiple portions of Idaho Code, the major result is that virtually all elections in Idaho for all taxing districts including schools and cities will be conducted by the 44 Idaho county clerks beginning in 2011. Election consolidation will also impact terms of office and length of office for some existing elected officials.

Starting next year, the majority of elections will be held in odd years. The primary and general elections of course will still be conducted during even years in conjunction with state and federal elections.

The four possible election dates that are in current code have been reduced to two.

The primary election will be moved from the fourth Tuesday in May to the 3rd Tuesday in May. The general election will remain on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November. There are two additional election dates in March and August of each year that are only available for school funding related issues such as bonds and levies.

Another big change for voters this year concerns the new voter ID law. It won't take effect until July 1 so it won't be in place for the upcoming primary election. It will however be in force for the Nov. 2 general election. The new law provides that all voters must show a picture ID in order to vote on Election Day or if they vote in person as an early absentee voter. There is a provision that will still provide voters an opportunity to cast a ballot if they don't have an ID. However those voters will need to sign an affidavit affirming their identity before they will be allowed to vote. There will be a public information campaign conducted by the Secretary of State and county clerks over the summer and fall with more details to ensure voters are aware of this significant change to our voting process.

Here are a few other pertinent points of information about our current election process.

• We don't register by party in Idaho. So in primary elections you are given ballots from both parties but you can only vote for candidates from one party. This is referred to as voting a "straight ticket" ballot. The judicial candidates appear on both ballots.

• Someone who isn't already a registered voter can still vote on Election Day or early in-person voting due to provisions in Idaho Code for same day registration. Same day registrants must have a picture ID and proof of 30-day residency such as a power bill, etc.

• The polls will open at 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.

• You may vote in-person absentee up until 5 p.m. the day before the election. After July 1, another change in the law means that in all future elections, in-person absentee voting will close the Friday before the election at 5 p.m. This will give election workers more time to prepare final lists of who has voted before Election Day to help ensure the poll books are as accurate as possible.

I would like to close by sharing the following recent comment by Commissioner Gracia Hillman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission in recognition of election workers.

"Election workers provide an invaluable but often overlooked service to America. They are the face of election administration, the providers of customer service and the tangible link between the voters and the election process. They could be anybody from a Secretary of State to a state election director to a county or city clerk to a voter registrar to an election day poll worker. They serve admirably, honorably, with commitment and distinction."

For more information or questions: www.kcgov.us/elections or call 446-1030.

Dan English is Kootenai County Clerk.