You probably received cards from Idaho Secretary of State Lawrence Denney and from the U.S. Postal Service reminding of the importance of being properly registered and ready to vote in this year’s General Election Nov. 3.
You can check and update your registration information at the recently updated official Idaho Votes Website, here.
Changes in our daily lives as an effect of the global COVID-19 pandemic make it impossible to know how the Nov. 3 general election will be conducted.
Because of the uncertainty, we are encouraging election officials and voters alike to be prepared to vote by absentee ballot. Information on how to vote absentee in Idaho is here: https://idahovotes.gov/absentee-voter-information/
The global COVID-19 pandemic has forced changes not only in our daily lives, but in the way this year’s election is conducted. In Idaho, the process of qualifying and registering eligible voters, location of polling places, and processing ballots, is carried out at the county level. In-person voting, and early voting, is expected to be available in most places, but a resurgence of COVID-19 infection could affect the process.
Thus, as Secretary Denney’s reminder explains, it is important to know your voting options:
+ If you intend to vote by absentee ballot, you must request a ballot by October 23. Complete the ballot as instructed, sign and seal it, and return it promptly. Your county clerk must receive your completed ballot by 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
+ Counties provide the option of early or in-person absentee voting between October 19 and October 30. Dates and polling locations vary by county, so check with your county clerk for details.
+ In-person voting will be conducted on Tuesday, November 3, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.
Because health concerns are of paramount importance, we strongly recommend voting by absentee ballot this time.
Contact information for county clerk offices is here.
We are caught in an information crisis, and it’s largely one of our own making. This is a bitter irony the 21st Century, in which, with wide access to more information more quickly than ever before, so many Americans know so little about their own country and how it’s supposed to work.
A big part of civic activism is communication, especially with elected officials. Whether through letters, emails, phone calls, or in person, give them the good news and the bad. They work for us.
Help us help others be actively engaged in the democratic process to keep Idaho moving forward with accountable, responsible leadership, social justice, and better quality of life for all.
