EDITORIAL: Government overreach turns to voting

In the name of "election integrity," the Idaho Legislature is considering House Bill 139, a measure that would drastically curtail access to absentee voting for thousands of Idahoans. Despite its well-intentioned packaging, this bill represents government overreach at its worst, creating needless bureaucracy, undermining personal responsibility, and betraying principles of limited government.

For decades, Idaho has allowed its citizens to vote absentee without needing to justify their personal circumstances. This approach respects the intelligence and autonomy of voters to decide for themselves whether absentee voting best suits their needs. HB 139 would replace this freedom with a government-approved list of "acceptable" reasons to vote absentee.

Idaho's governance is built on the principle that government works best when it governs least. Yet HB 139 would require county clerks — already overworked and understaffed — to become the arbiters of whether a citizen's reason for voting absentee is legitimate. How would a clerk verify whether someone truly has work obligations on Election Day? What documentation would prove a voter actually has a second residence? This creates exactly the type of bureaucratic morass that we have long fought against.

Moreover, this legislation insults the intelligence and integrity of Idaho voters by suggesting they cannot be trusted to determine their own voting needs without government oversight. We don't need the nanny state to come in and tell us how to vote.

Idaho's current absentee voting system has served us well, with few documented cases of fraud. Our elections run smoothly precisely because we trust citizens and local officials to do what's right without excessive regulation from Boise.

The emergency clause attached to this bill — making it effective immediately upon passage — only underscores its true nature. This provision would throw county clerks into disarray as they scramble to implement new restrictions ahead of upcoming elections. This isn't good governance; it's political theater.

True governance recognizes that freedom and personal responsibility go hand-in-hand. Idaho voters don't need the heavy hand of government dictating how they can cast their ballots. The Legislature would do well to remember that government closest to the people governs best. That means letting citizens make their own choices without interference.

We urge legislators to reject HB 139 and instead focus on real issues facing our state, rather than creating new problems where none exist.