The deadline to request absentee ballots was extended until Tuesday, May 26 at 8 p.m. after Idaho Congressional candidate Nicholas Jones won a federal court case against Secretary of State Lawerence Denney.
Jones claimed that the secretary’s website crashing near the deadline on May 19 unlawfully kept some people from voting. Idahoans have to request an absentee ballot to vote in the May primary because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill sided with Jones on Friday.
According to the Idaho Press, Winmill said, “I want to compliment the Secretary of State and our good clerks who have, I think, tried and made substantial efforts to expand the electoral franchise and encourage people to vote...But that’s really not what this case is about."
After Friday’s court win, Jones released a statement saying, “I am grateful to Judge Winmill for recognizing the unjust disenfranchisement of Idahoans who trusted the state’s offer of the opportunity to request their absentee ballot online until 8 PM on May 19. His ruling upholds the sanctity of one of our most treasured rights: the right to vote.”
Jones is challenging incumbent Representative Russ Fulcher for a Congressional seat.
The deadline to return a completed absentee ballot is 8 p.m. on June 2. To request an absentee ballot, go to the Secretary of State's website, or click here.
We will be updating this story as more information becomes available.
