Election officials – particularly in the Idaho Secretary of State office – have to be nimble when it comes to securing voters’ access to the polls. Take, for an example, what happened during a smaller special election this past August.
“I was visiting some of the counties in eastern Idaho when we got a call about a wildfire up in Clearwater County, and they were having to move a polling location because of a wildfire evacuation,” said Secretary of State Phil McGrane. “Those are the kind of things, no matter how well you plan for Election Day … you're not prepared for that. And so, part of our office's role is to provide support, help navigate the law and make sure that we can run the election as smoothly as possible. And that, at the end of the day, [is how] everyone can have confidence in the results.”
In the countdown to the Tuesday, Nov. 7 general election, when over 1,000 Idaho precincts will open their polling places, McGrane visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about all-things election.
“Running an election in Ada County looks a lot different than running an election in, say, Owyhee County.”Phil McGrane
Read the full transcript below:
GEORGE PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. Hi, I'm George Prentice. With Election Day quickly approaching, we are more than a bit anxious to spend some time with the person who likely knows as much about elections in Idaho as anyone. He is Phil McGrane, Idaho Secretary of State. Mr. Secretary, good morning.
PHIL MCGRANE: Good morning. George. It's a pleasure to be with you.
PRENTICE: Can you paint a word picture for us of what might go on at the Secretary of state's office on election day and election night?
MCGRANE: Our role here is really a major support function for all the county clerks. The real work is being done at the county level. And really beyond that, at the precinct level, where the poll workers are setting up all the polling locations, facilitating voters throughout the day. We maintain the Idaho statewide voter registration system, which runs all the elections at the county level. So, us making sure that the tools are working properly and that we're handling some of the difficult issues that may pop up. You know, I'll give you a great example: In August, which is a much smaller election. I was visiting some of the counties in eastern Idaho when we got a call about a wildfire up in Clearwater County, and they were having to move a polling location because of a wildfire evacuation. And those are the kind of things, no matter how well you plan for Election Day, you're not prepared for that. And so part of our office's role is to provide support, help navigate the law and make sure that we can run the election as smoothly as possible. And that at the end of the day, everyone can have confidence in the results.
PRENTICE: Can you remind our listeners of some of the online voter tools on checking the status of an absentee ballot, or finding a precinct?
MCGRANE: Yes. Vote. Idaho.gov is our official page for voting information, and we're actually going through a big refresh of that. So, this election, it won't be ready. But by the next time everyone votes, we'll have a new look and new tools available to the public. But it's a great resource to go check and see if you're registered to vote and to see you know where you'll be voting at the upcoming election. And as you mentioned, if you request an absentee ballot, you can track the progress along the way. All at voteidaho.gov.
PRENTICE: What might you want to add or change to that?
MCGRANE: We're just going to try and expand some of the resources in terms of just what the workflow is for people to be able to do that, but also providing more election information in terms of like election results currently aren't on that page. I think, you know, from my time at the county, adding some data visualization about the makeup of Idaho voters, as well as just trying to make, you know, ultimately, more information for voters available, not just that local elections are coming up, for example, but also hopefully in the future, we'll be able to add on information about what you'll be voting on. So, you know, a voter guide has been one of my big initiatives as secretary of state. Often voters go to the polls and they're not familiar with the candidates or the issues they'll be facing. And so we're working towards trying to provide more information and tools to the public so they can be informed when they get to the voting booth.
PRENTICE: Is it your hope to have a voter guide for 2024?
MCGRANE: It is my hope. I had legislation this last session to have a voter guide. Unfortunately, I did not get through the entire legislative process. I have made the same ask again. So hopefully for the general election we might have a voter guide, but it will really depend on our support by the legislature.
PRENTICE: I'm curious about early voting. Why is it that some counties might begin early voting before other counties? Is it manpower or expense? Why is that?
MCGRANE: It's interesting. It's partly just the history of early voting. We we didn't have early voting not that long ago. So, over a decade ago, we didn't have early voting. We just had absentee voting. And some counties, particularly smaller counties, have what they refer to as in-person absentee, so they don't officially conduct it as early voting, whereas other counties will do in early voting. We've set up a new process over the last ten years where, as you're familiar here in the Treasure Valley area, you can go to your county elections office or some of the other early voting locations and vote just like you would at the polls. That process begins on October 23rd for this upcoming election. So, there's two weeks, a minimum of two weeks of early voting that will take place. But Idaho is still very much a local control. And so same thing with elections. The local counties get to make some key decisions on how best to run their elections for their respective county because as you can appreciate, running an election in Ada County looks a lot different than running an election in, say, Owyhee County.
PRENTICE: A study from the National Conference of State Legislatures this year showed us that nationwide recruiting and retaining poll workers is a significant challenge. Is that the case in Idaho?
MCGRANE: It is. I was recently in Indianapolis with other secretaries of state talking about this very issue, about how it's become more difficult as everything has become more politicized. It has impacted the number of volunteers that we have. In order for elections to run smoothly, we depend on poll workers. Idaho has just shy of 1,000 precincts on any major election. Each of those precincts has a minimum of four people, often many more. So, when you think about that, that's a over 5000 person workforce out running the polls. And really they're just average community members, people who care about the process, who want to help their neighbors. And, you know, we've made a push in this office, especially back in August, we had National Poll Worker Recruitment day trying to get people to reach out to their county office and to see if they can't serve on the upcoming election, because in order for all of us to vote, we need people who are willing to give up that Tuesday to make sure that that process goes smoothly.
PRENTICE: And there are real consequences, right? As far as unnecessary cost and possibly even security?
MCGRANE: Absolutely. In terms of the poll workers, you know, it's funny in my role, of course, I've spent a lot of time studying and know our election laws, but at the end of the day, it's the poll workers on the ground who are enforcing our laws, making sure that people have the opportunity to vote, but also making sure that the process is run fairly, that, you know, when someone's asked to check their ID, they're providing their ID, that the registration laws are followed, that it's a safe place for voters to go in and vote independently without concern about somebody knowing how they voted. And so there's a lot of work that goes into that. And it really is those dedicated poll workers who make it possible.
PRENTICE: I always want to take the opportunity to ask about integrity and security of the vote in Idaho. Could you remind our listeners, could you debunk a few myths as far as the integrity of the vote?
MCGRANE: Idaho has a very good election system. We really have a traditional approach. We have all our polling locations. And as we've mentioned, those poll workers are vital to making sure we have enough of them open to facilitate all the voters on Election Day. That system has numerous checks and balances throughout the process. So in Idaho, there is a paper ballot produced for every single voter. So, in the event there's ever a recount or when we our office conducts audits, we always go back to the official record, which is the piece of paper, not the computerized systems that we use to tally the votes. We also do regular testing. So, before every election in every county, there's logic and accuracy testing done to make sure that votes are accurately attributed to the right candidates and the right process. We make that process publicly available. I think one of the other big questions that comes up these days is none of our systems, the systems that count the votes in Idaho, they're never connected to the internet. I think one of the easiest and safest ways for us to protect our elections is to cut the cord. And so, we've been that way since we've started using this equipment. We'll continue to be that way. Idaho, we really are fortunate, and we're fortunate to have lots of options in terms of voting. Most Idahoans choose to go to the polls on Election Day, but as you already mentioned, early voting is available for those who you know may work a long shift on Election Day. They can go early to their county elections office or for anybody who needs. We also have the ability to request an absentee ballot and that process is available on the vote idaho.gov website. You can easily go on if you're registered to vote, submit your request and get your ballot for the upcoming election.
PRENTICE: And same day registration.
MCGRANE: And same day registration. We're very fortunate to be one of the states that has the ability. If you aren't currently registered to vote. We've already passed the deadline to register for the November 7th election, but you can still go to your polls, bring photo ID and proof of residence, and we'll get you registered to vote.
PRENTICE: There he is. Phil McGrane, Secretary of State. Mr. Secretary, happy election day to you. Great. Good luck to you and your colleagues on Election Day and election night. Thank you for what you do. And thanks for giving me some time this morning.
MCGRANE: Absolutely. Thank you, George. And please, for all your listeners, don't miss the opportunity to vote coming up here for the November 7th election.
Find reporter George Prentice on X @georgepren
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