BOISE, Idaho — The deadline to submit an absentee ballot request and to register to vote for the May primary election is May 19. Voter registration forms and ballot requests must be received by Ada County Elections by the 8 p.m. deadline.
Voters may register and request a ballot online at Idahovotes.gov or download the paper form and email it directly to elections@adacounty.id.gov. Any requests or registrations sent by mail will miss the deadline.
Due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Governor Brad Little issued a proclamation stating that the Idaho May 19th Primary Election will be conducted exclusively by mail. To vote in the primary, you must be registered and submit a ballot request.
Though Election Day is May 19, voters will have until June 2 at 8 p.m. to return completed ballots to Elections for counting. Local results will be available the evening of June 2 at www.adacountyelections.com.
The May 19 Primary Election is proving to be historic, both in terms of the state-wide all-mail voting and the unprecedented number of ballot requests. In Ada County, 116,475 ballots have been issued as of May 18.
For comparison, in a similar primary election in 2016, just over 35,000 total ballots were cast. Each ballot request is processed individually and the large volume has resulted in delays in mailing ballots to voters.
With the extended deadline to return ballots, voters will have time to request a ballot by Tuesday, receive it in the mail, and return it by mail or to the Elections drop box (400 N Benjamin Ln, Suite 100 in Boise) before the June 2 deadline.
