BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Primary saw a record turnout in what was an absentee only election. That means despite having to request a ballot ahead of time and mail it in or return it in person, the state saw a nearly 39 percent turnout. The previous record was 32 percent.
This year's turnout also surpassed the last presidential year primary total at 23 percent. So what could it mean for the future of mail-in voting?
"States will be considering what to do for fall," said Jaclyn Kettler, PhD, political analyst at Boise State University. "There were bumps along the way but having an election be successful via absentee ballot will hopefully give people reassurance if we need to do this again for the fall."
If COVID-19 spikes in the fall as many health experts expect, it is possible there will not be enough poll workers to staff precincts. So far, there is no plan for a mail-in November election, but you can always request an absentee ballot now to make sure you can vote.
