Coronavirus casts its vote for absentee-only primary

County tally not likely until June 3

This year’s primary election vote will look markedly different from past primaries, as the coronavirus has made holding an in-person election all but impossible. It’s why Gov. Brad Little announced on March 29 an all-absentee primary election for May 19, and it’s why Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney took to the airwaves Wednesday to explain the plan.

“Given the growing number of coronavirus cases in Idaho, it simply was not safe for voters, election workers or the larger community to hold in-person voting for the May primary,” Denney said in a statement. “Having Idahoans request an absentee ballot and vote at home will protect the health of Idahoans, slow the spread of COVID-19, allow the election to move forward as scheduled and ensure that everyone can still exercise their right to vote.”

It’s a decision Kootenai County Clerk Jim Brannon supports.

“I think it was a very good and very needed action,” Brannon told The Press. “We have 70 precincts in Kootenai County and 51 polling places. In a normal election, that’s difficult, and this election is anything but normal.”

Before the coronavirus outbreak, county elections officials had ordered a personal best 20,000 envelopes in preparation for a relatively huge absentee turnout.

Once the pandemic reached Idaho, however, the department ordered 40,000 more.

Exercising your voting rights for this election will take a little extra effort.

If you’re eligible to vote and wish to make your voice heard this May — regardless if you’ve voted before or not — you must request an absentee ballot. You can do that at the Kootenai County Elections Office on Third Street or, as state elections staff prefer, by going online to idahovotes.gov to make the request, which you can do right now. It’s where citizens can also register to vote. Brannon said first-time voters who have not yet registered will have the same voting opportunities as everyone else.

“Idaho is one of the few states that allows same-day registration,” he said.

People can register to vote and request a ballot up to and including May 19.

Therefore, staying up into the late May 19 hours to wait for election results will be a wasted effort. The ritual is effectively canceled, as residents will now have until 8 p.m. on June 2 to return their votes. If, come 8:01 p.m. on June 2 the Kootenai County Elections Office does not have your ballot returned via mail or returned in person to the Election Office’s drop box, your vote will not count.

Brannon said he expects to have unofficial results on June 2 or June 3.

“It honestly depends literally on how many absentee ballots we get back,” he said.

Brannon said he lamented not having an in-person Election Night for people to celebrate but said democracy demands inclusion before all else.

“It’s much more important to give the voters the right to vote than it is to count the vote on the 19th,” he said.