Elections in Idaho

Elections in Idaho
Federal government Presidential elections 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Idaho presidential caucuses/primaries Democratic 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Republican 2008 2020 United States Senate elections 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022 United States House elections 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
State government General elections 2014 2018 2020 Gubernatorial elections 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Idaho Legislature elections 2006 Idaho Senate elections 2020 Idaho House elections 2020
Ballot measures Ballot Measures 2006 Amendment 2 2006 Proposition 2 2018 Proposition 1 2018 Proposition 2
Boise Mayoral elections 2015 2019
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Some type of election in Idaho occurs annually in each of the state's cities and towns, the exact type of which is dependent on the year. Elections for federal and statewide offices occur in even-numbered years, while municipal elections occur in odd-numbered years.

In a 2020 study, Idaho was ranked as the 18th easiest state for citizens to vote in.^[1]

Offices elected by the people of Idaho[]

Federal[]

• President: The state of Idaho is currently apportioned four United States Electoral College members in presidential elections. This number of presidential electors is subject to change based on the results of the decennial United States Census, but has remained unchanged in Idaho since 1912. No Democrat has won the state since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and no Democrat has earned even 40 percent of the vote since then, as of 2020.
• United States Senate: As with all U.S. states, Idaho elects two members to the United States Senate. The current Senators elected from Idaho are Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, both Republicans. Senators serve six-year terms. The most recent U.S. Senate election in the state occurred on November 3, 2020. The next U.S. Senate election in Idaho will occur in 2022.
• United States House of Representatives: Idaho currently has two Congressional districts, each of which elects one member to the United States House of Representatives. The state's incumbent House members, Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson, are both Republicans. Representatives serve two-year terms. The most recent Congressional elections took place in the state in 2020.

State[]

• Governor and Lieutenant Governor: The governor and lieutenant governor are elected to four-year terms in the next even-year election cycle that follows a presidential election. The offices are contested separately. The current Governor of Idaho is Brad Little, a Republican, who took office in 2019. His lieutenant is Janice McGeachin. The most recent election for these offices occurred In 2018.
• Constitutional Officers: The Constitutional Officers of the state are composed of the state Attorney General, Secretary of State, Controller, and . Idaho also previously elected an Inspector of Mines, but that office was last contested in 1966 and abolished. All are elected to four-year terms in the same cycle as gubernatorial elections. The incumbent officers are all members of the Republican Party.
• Idaho Legislature: The Idaho Legislature is the state's bicameral state legislature. It is composed of two houses:
  • Idaho Senate: The Idaho Senate is the upper house of the state legislature. There are 35 state senatorial districts in the state, each which elects one member to the Senate. The full Senate is up for election every two years. The most recent election was held on November 3, 2020.
  • Idaho House of Representatives: The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower house of the state legislature. There are 35 state house districts in the state, each which elects two members to the House. The full House is up for election every two years. The most recent election was held on November 3, 2020.
• Others
  • Idaho Supreme Court: Idaho Supreme Court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. Justices hold office for a period of four years and are elected at primary elections in May. The most recent elections for Idaho Supreme Court justices were held on November 3, 2020.
  • Referendum and Initiative: Referendum and initiative proposals which qualify for ballot status are voted upon at the next general election on an as-needed basis. State constitutional amendments passed by the Idaho Legislature must be ratified by popular vote in a similar manner.

County[]

• County officials: Each of Idaho's 44 counties elects a similar form of county government. Elected county government officials are composed of a three-member county commission, clerk, treasurer, sheriff, assessor and prosecutor. County commissioners are elected to alternating two- and four-year terms while other county officers are elected to four-year terms.
• Precinct committeepersons: Each voting precinct elects a Republican and Democratic precinct committeeperson for two-year terms at the May primary elections. These committeepersons serve on the county-level central committee for their respective political party organizations.

Local[]

Elections for local government include elections for municipal leadership positions (such as mayor), legislative bodies (such as a city council), and other elections for various municipal positions, boards and commissions, as governed by each municipality's respective ordinances. Of the 200 incorporated cities in the state, all hold municipal elections in odd-numbered years, and most hold them on the traditional election day in November. Most Idaho cities utilize a mayor-council form of government. Lewiston, McCall and Twin Falls are the only Idaho cities which have a council-manager government.^[2]

Party primaries[]

Since 2012 the state's Republican primary has been a closed primary, in which only voters registered as Republicans can vote in that primary election. Idaho's Democratic primary had been a caucus, but starting in 2020, the state party switched to the use of a mixed primary, in which registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters can vote in their primary election.^[3]

Voter registration[]

Idaho voters may register in the Republican, Democratic, Libertarian or Constitution Parties, or may choose to decline party preference and register as "unaffiliated." Idaho allows same-day registration as well as party affiliation changes at both the primary and general elections.

Recent and upcoming elections[]

Federal[]

• Presidential: 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020
• Senatorial: 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2022
• Congressional: 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020

State[]

• General: 2014, 2020
• Gubernatorial: 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018
• Legislature: 2006, 2020

See also[]

• Political party strength in Idaho
• 2020 Idaho elections

References[]

External links[]

• IDAHO SECRETARY OF STATE - Elections, Campaign Disclosure and Lobbyists
• Idaho at Ballotpedia
• Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "Idaho", Voting & Elections Toolkits
• "Idaho: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
• "League of Women Voters of Idaho". (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
• "State Elections Legislation Database", Ncsl.org, Washington, D.C.: National Conference of State Legislatures, State legislation related to the administration of elections introduced in 2011 through this year, 2020