The Idaho Secretary of State’s office is urging voters to get an absentee ballot instead of voting in-person during the upcoming May primary.
Idaho is not a vote-by-mail state, like its neighbors Oregon and Washington, but this push could come close to making it one temporarily.
State health officials recommend limiting in-person gatherings for at least the next eight weeks to tamp down the spread of the coronavirus. That could end just one week before the May 19 primary.
In response, the secretary of state’s office wants voters to request an absentee ballot, which they can drop off at their county clerk’s office, or mail it in.
Registered voters have until 11 days before the primary to request an absentee ballot, but it must be received the day polls close to count.
Elections officials are currently exploring an online request option that would work for all 44 counties.
You can find an absentee ballot request form online here, which must be sent to your county clerk’s office for approval.
It could take some time to get to you if you request one right now. Absentee ballots will be mailed 30-45 days before the election.
Follow James Dawson on Twitter @RadioDawson for more local news.
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