Bittercreek Alehouse Guide to Voting in the 2020 Election
How to Vote:
Absentee: If you have already received your absentee ballot, you can submit it by mail, in person at your local election office, or online. Ballots must be received BY Election Day to be counted. You can track the status of your submitted absentee ballot here: https://idahovotes.gov/online-voter-tools/
(Note: It is now too late to request an absentee ballot.)
Early Voting: Early voting is in progress now. The last day to vote early in-person at a polling location is Friday, October 30th. There are several Early Voting poll locations you can visit, search by your county to locate one.
Election Day Voting: Election Day is November 3rd from 8am to 8pm. Your mailing address corresponds to a specific poll location you must vote from on this day. Find that location with this search engine: https://elections.sos.idaho.gov/ElectionLink/ElectionLink/ViewPollingLocation.aspx
At the Polls:
You must be a registered voter to vote. Online registration has closed until after this election, but you can register at your polling location during early voting or on Election Day. You will need to bring valid photo identification with you to vote (state issued ID, tribal card, US Passport or current student ID).
Voting Qualifications: In order to vote in the next election, you must meet all of the requirements below. Please keep in mind, Idahoans can register to vote in advance of the election or when they show up to vote at the polls.
- You must be 18 by Election Day
- You must be a U.S. citizen
- You must have lived in Ada County for 30 days prior to Election Day
- Provide valid photo identification (state issued ID, tribal card, U.S. passport or current student ID)
- You must provide either a state ID number or the last four digits of your social security number
- You must provide proof of residency (vehicle registration, current utility bill, bank statement, etc.)
- Felons may not register until they have completed the terms of their sentence
- To vote, you will need to bring a state issued ID, tribal card, U.S. passport or current student ID with you to the polling location to prove your identity.
Ballot Builder: Want to review your candidates before you vote? Vote411 has a Ballot Builder with candidate’s answers to questions on relevant topics. https://www.vote411.org/ballot. It’s not a closed-book exam friends, you can bring your phone or notes into the polling location with you to fill in your ballot. Know before you go!
Voters with Disabilities:
From the Idaho’s Vote411 information: You may receive assistance to vote from any person of your choice. You may also ask for assistance from a poll worker.
Curbside assistance and home voting is available in special circumstances. Please make arrangements with your county clerk’s office in advance.
Each polling place in the state will be equipped with a ballot marking device to assist voters who have difficulty reading or marking a ballot vote privately and independently. The ballot marking device is intended to assist the visually impaired, voters with disabilities and the elderly.
Visually impaired voters can use headphones to listen to an audio ballot and make their selections using a Braille keypad. The ballot marking device has a touch screen with a zoom feature to enlarge the ballot print and a contrast feature to make the ballot easier to read for some voters. The ballot marking device only marks a ballot. No votes are stored in the machine. Votes are counted by the election board of your county. You can review and change your selections before the device marks a paper ballot. If you are using the ballot marking device, you may request a new ballot from a poll worker if you make a mistake. Additional instructions will be available at the polls and poll workers are trained to help if you request their assistance.
For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.
