Residents in Ada County are headed to the polls on Tuesday. Meridian residents will be voting for two open seats on the Library District’s board of Trustees, a few months after surviving a dissolution attempt.
In February, the Library District received national attention when a group called the Concerned Citizens of Meridian petitioned to have it dissolved, saying it allowed minors to access sexually explicit material. Citing cost, logistics and low community support, the Ada County Board of Commissioners voted against putting the dissolution on the November ballot. Four candidates are vying for two of the five trustees’ seats in the city of Meridian.
Kuna and Ada County Free Library Districts have trustees’ seats up for grabs as well. Voters in the largest school district in the state, West Ada County, will also be asked to decide on a 500 million dollar levy, given out over 10 years.
Nicole Camarda from the Ada County Clerk’s Office says 180,000 people are eligible to vote in the broader Ada County Election. This time around, she said the office anticipates a 20% to 30% voter turnout.
“We have seen a little bit higher number in absentee ballots requested than previous odd year May elections and same goes for early voting, just a little bit higher,” she said.
Camarda said residents will be voting on different issues across different districts, so it’s hard to know what’s driving the increase from one election year to another.
If a voter is unsure if they have anything to vote on, they can find their polling place and general information on the Ada County website, she added.
"It will show them what their sample ballot is. They can read it ahead of time, get educated on who they want to vote for or what they want to vote for and then head to their polls and cast their vote," Camarda said.
Polling places are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and results should be available by the evening.
