BOISE, ID – A bill that sought to end no-excuse absentee voting for most Idahoans failed to advance out of the Idaho Legislature’s House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday morning.
House Bill 139 isn’t officially dead.
But the bill failed to advance after separate motions – one to advance the bill and another to hold the bill – both failed on rare tie votes.
In order for the bill to become law, it would have to be brought back to the committee, advance on a majority vote, pass both the Idaho House of Representatives and Idaho Senate with a majority vote and not be vetoed by Gov. Brad Little.
Idaho currently allows no-excuse absentee voting, which means any registered voter can request and cast an absentee ballot for any reason. About 15% of Idaho voters vote by absentee ballot, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane said. During the most recent 2024 general election, 182,000 Idahoans voted by absentee ballot, McGrane said.
Under House Bill 139, Idahoans would only be able to vote by absentee ballot if they were 65 or older, serving in the armed forces, serving a religious mission, have an illness, disability or hospitalization, have to work or attend university, are occupying a second home outside of the county where they are registered to vote, or if they live in a precinct that only allows mailed ballots.
Rep. Joe Alfieri, R-Coeur d’Alene, sponsored the bill.
Most people who testified in a public hearing oppose the bill restricting absentee voting
Most of the people who spoke in a public hearing Wednesday at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, including McGrane, testified in opposition to the bill.
“House Bill 139 would impose unnecessary restrictions on absentee voting, which is a secure, longstanding and essential method of voter participation,” Meridian resident Laura Miller told legislators. “As a mother of young children and someone living with a chronic illness, I vote absentee in most elections. There are many reasons a voter may choose to vote absentee, but like many personal decisions, are not the government’s business. What matters is that every legally eligible Idahoan has the freedom to vote in whatever way works best for them. Voting absentee is not a partisan issue. It is a matter of access.”
Idaho County Clerk Kathy Ackerman also testified against the bill.
If the bill passed, Ackerman warned that spouses and dependents of active duty military members serving away from home, people on vacation, people living in rural or remote areas, emergency responders who are suddenly called in unexpectedly on Election Day and many other people could be harmed by the bill because there are no exceptions for them if they cannot physically make it to the polls.
Ackerman also said the bill would create additional work for county clerks, could confuse voters and be difficult to enforce.
“This is the third year I’ve spoken against eliminating no excuse absentee voting,” Ackerman said.
Tim O’Donnell, who said he is a volunteer with the advocacy group Secure Idaho, said he supported the bill. He said voting by absentee ballot is unobserved voting. He also said absentee voting would be the easiest way to cheat an election.
“It is more secure to vote in person than it is by absentee,” O’Donnell told legislators.
Where does the bill stand now?
After Wednesday’s meeting adjourned, House State Affairs Committee Chairman Brent Crane, R-Nampa, told the Idaho Capital Sun that the status of the bill is that it remains in his possession as chairman.
Crane pointed out that Rep. Brooke Green, a Boise Democrat, was absent from Wednesday’s meeting and vote. While Crane said he did not poll Green on the bill, he assumes she would have voted against it, which would have killed the bill. Crane said he would keep that in mind if a legislator sought to bring the bill back. Crane also said the committee would need to schedule and hold another public hearing if the bill is to be brought forward again for consideration.
This story first appeared on Idaho Capital Sun.
