Forget your identification when you went to the polls? Voters in Idaho can attest to their identity using an affidavit, a legally binding document that comes with consequences for declaring incorrect information.
Changes to the voter affidavit process under this year’s Senate Bill 1322 now require telephone verification of voter info with their local county’s registration database before you can get a ballot.
“It’s an added burden to verify that, but one that I think instills more trust in the system,” said Ada County Clerk Trent Tripple.
Nearly 36,000 people had checked in at early voting stations in Idaho’s most populous county as of Wednesday morning. Only a couple dozen had used the affidavit in lieu of showing identification.
Ada County Elections has three staffers available to take those verification calls at election headquarters. Volunteers can’t do it because the job requires access to a secure system.
No affidavit verification calls came in during my visit to election headquarters this week, but election specialist Shannon Grisso put my name through the process to show me how it works.
“I’ll take your first name and last name,” he asked. Grisso didn’t even have to put in every letter of my name before I popped up on his screen.
“I do show a Troy Oppie in our system. I would tell [the precinct captain] the date of birth and then the address where they’re registered to vote,” Grisso explained. That information needs to match what the voter has written on the affidavit form. If it does, they'll get a ballot and be on their way.
“It can happen within 30 seconds or a minute, it’s not complicated - unless there’s something wrong with the registration, then there might be a conversation involved,” said Tripple.
Sometimes, a voter might be flagged in the system. They may have pre-registered online but have not yet verified their ID or address for that registration.
Tripple said in that case, a voter could not use an affidavit to confirm identity and receive a ballot, which is really no different than previous years.
“We don’t want to slow the process down for a voter, but we have to follow the code.”
Each county is responsible for running the verification process for its local polling sites. Tripple said he expects more verification calls on election day, and they’re planning to have more staff available to field those calls and quickly get voters their ballots.
Voters can double-check their registration before arriving at a polling place using voteidaho.gov. You can also register to vote at the polls on Election Day with approved photo ID and proof of residence.
Ada County voters can view their sample ballot at https://adacounty.id.gov/elections/.
Early voting ends Friday at 5 p.m., check your local county website for details.
