Races for Boise mayor, city council and a conservation initiative headline Tuesday’s ballot in Idaho’s largest city.
Polls across Idaho open at 8 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m.
Boise Mayor David Bieter is facing challengers Seth Holden and Judy Peavey-Derr. Boise City Council seats 1, 3 and 5 are also on the ballot. Boise residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on a conservation levy that, if passed, would provide $10 million over two years for continued preservation of the Boise foothills and the Boise River.
Residents of Meridian and Eagle will also cast ballots in mayoral and city council elections. Voters in the West Ada School District are being asked to approve a supplemental levy that would yield $28 million over the next two years for operating expenses.
Phil McGrane, chief deputy in the Ada County clerk’s office, predicts between 22 and 24 percent of registered voters will cast ballots. That’s on par with previous city elections, he says, and would represent about half of 2014’s general election turnout.
McGrane anticipates turnout will be noticeably higher in Boise’s North End neighborhood, where there is considerable interest in the conservation levy. McGrane says he anticipates turnout to also be higher in Meridian. In addition to the West Ada Schools operating levy, voters there will also consider a $12 million library construction bond.
“Financial issues tend to motivate voters to show up more than candidate issues,” McGrane says.
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