How to request an absentee ballot for Idaho’s November election

Voting in the 2024 general election is officially underway in Idaho. 

The first Idaho absentee ballots for the 2024 general election went out to members of the military serving overseas last week, the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office said. 

All registered Idaho voters are now able to request an absentee ballot now.

Idaho voters can request an absentee ballot and access a host of additional election resources at the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office’s VoteIdaho.gov. To request an absentee ballot, Idahoans must first be registered to vote, which they can also do online using the VoteIdaho.gov website. The deadline to register to vote online before the election is Oct. 11. 

“VoteIdaho.gov is your one-stop shop for everything you need to participate in the November General Election,” the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office said in a written statement. “You can register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and find essential information all in one place.”

When it comes to voting, Idahoans have several options to choose from. 

• Until Oct. 25, registered Idaho voters can request an absentee ballot online from VoteIdaho.gov.

• From Oct. 21 to Nov. 1, Idaho voters can participate in early voting.

• On Nov. 5, Idaho voters can vote in-person on Election Day at their local polling place, which is listed at VoteIdaho.gov. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time on Election Day, and voters who are not registered can register in person at their polling place on Election Day and vote.

For this year’s general election, there is now one spot where Idaho voters can find everything on their ballot before they vote. All Idaho voters can download their sample ballot from the VoteIdaho.gov website.

To view their ballot, registered voters follow the similar steps as requesting an absentee ballot. Once they visit the Secretary of State’s Office’s website VoteIdaho.gov, voters can click the button that says “preview your sample ballot.” Voters will need to enter their first and last name and birthday in the voter information box, and then they can download their sample ballot. 

The sample ballot looks very similar to how the voter’s actual ballot will look on Election Day. It includes all the legislative and congressional races that will be on the voter’s ballot, the language of the Proposition 1 ballot initiative and the language of the proposed ballot measure that would amend the Idaho Constitution to state that only United States citizens may vote in Idaho elections. The sample ballot will also include any county races like commissioner, sheriff and prosecuting attorney, as well as any other local races for highway districts, community college trustees or any other applicable contests. Finally, the sample ballot will include nonpartisan positions like magistrate judges.

“For the first time, all Idaho voters can now preview their personalized sample ballot on VoteIdaho.gov,” the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office said in a written statement. “This feature allows you to see exactly which races, from the presidential election to local taxing district contests, will appear on your ballot before you cast your vote.”

Online sample ballots have previously been available to Ada County voters, but this is the first time all Idaho voters’ sample ballots are online.

Using VoteIdaho.gov, voters can also double-check their voter registration status and find out which legislative and congressional districts they live in. Finally, voters can find the address and a map to their local polling place at VoteIdaho.gov. There is even an option to request that the state send you directions to your polling place via an email or text message.