Political party politics could soon officially come to Ada County Highway District elections, among other changes passed by state lawmakers Wednesday.
In addition to introducing partisan races to ACHD elections, voters throughout the county would get to elect each commissioner. Right now, commissioners run in individual districts.
ACHD builds and maintains more than 5,000 lane miles of roads, including those within some of Idaho’s largest cities.
Rep. John Vander Woude (R-Nampa), who sponsored the bill, said this change would hopefully help commissioners take a holistic look at needs throughout the county.
“Maybe they take a better look [not just where they live] ... They will then maybe take a better look at how all the traffic flows through all of the county,” Vander Woude said.
House Democratic Leader Ilana Rubel (D-Boise) said opening up elections to be countywide makes no sense since candidates would still have to live in a particular district.
“Under the system that’s being proposed in this bill, you could get elected to represent your district without getting a single vote from your district,” Rubel said.
Supporters argue it’s no different than how Idahoans currently elect county commissioners.
Several top Republicans in the legislature have been running similar bills for years, saying ACHD isn’t acting in the best interest of Idahoans.
Rep. Josh Tanner (R-Eagle) blasted the agency for building bike paths and sidewalks instead of new traffic lanes.
“They don’t want to try to deal with Idaho’s values. They don’t want to try to make the roads actually meet Idaho’s standards. They want to actually shrink everything down,” Tanner said.
The proposal cleared the House and Senate within hours of each other Wednesday. Gov. Brad Little will weigh in on the bill next.
If it becomes law, the new election rules would take effect in 2028.
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