GOP has firm grip in Idaho

Editor’s note: This report was updated Nov. 1.

Voter makeup: As of October, Idaho had just over 1 million registered voters, according to the secretary of state. Twelve percent were Democrat, 59 percent Republican, and 26 percent unaffiliated. The remaining 3 percent identified with the Constitution and Libertarian parties. Of the state’s 43 counties, the largest by voter registration is Ada, which encompasses Boise, Idaho’s capital, and is home to 315,600 voters. The second-largest county, Canyon, has 117,700 registered voters and includes the cities of Caldwell and Nampa.

Voting: Registration is required for first-time voters, residents who have moved, anyone who has had a name change, and anyone who has not voted in the past four years. To register, voters must present a photo ID and proof of residence. Idahoans may register to vote in person on Election Day with a photo ID or a signed affidavit attesting to their identity. In this year’s election, any voter may apply for an absentee ballot prior to Oct. 25.

PRESIDENTIAL

Idaho has four votes in the Electoral College. In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump won the state with 63.9 percent of the vote. Joe Biden received just 33.1 percent. In this year’s Republican presidential primary in March, former President Donald Trump easily rose to the top of the GOP ticket with 84.9 percent of the vote. Nikki Haley a former governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations, took away 13.2 percent. She suspended her campaign shortly afterward. Biden won 95.2 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, while Marianne Williamson, a bestselling author, garnered 3.3 percent.

U.S. HOUSE

Idaho has two congressional districts, both of which are represented by Republicans. Rep. Mike Simpson has served Idaho’s 2nd District since 1999 and won his 13th term in 2022 with 63.6 percent of the vote. Rep. Russ Fulcher has held the 1st Congressional District seat since 2019. In the 2022 midterms, Fulcher beat Kaylee Peterson, the Democratic candidate, by a vote of 71.3 percent to 26.3 percent. Fulcher had no Republican challenger in this year’s primary. Both incumbent congressmen are expected to retain their seats this year. At this year’s Democratic National Convention, all 27 of Idaho’s delegates unanimously switched their support to Vice President Kamala Harris after Biden announced he would not pursue reelection.

JUDICIAL ELECTIONS

The five justices on the Idaho Supreme Court serve six-year terms. Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan is running unopposed to retain his seat, which he has occupied since 2017. The state’s Supreme Court elections are nonpartisan.

BALLOT MEASURES

Idaho voters will consider one constitutional amendment referred to the ballot by the state legislature. I

If implemented, the measure would codify in the Idaho Constitution that only U.S. citizens may vote in the state. Voters will also consider a citizen-initiated ballot measure that would implement ranked-choice voting for most primaries in the state outside of presidential contests.

One more measure had been in consideration but did not gain the support needed to appear on the ballot. The Idaho Medical Marijuana Act would have allowed people with debilitating illnesses and their caregivers to possess limited amounts of marijuana.

Dig deeper:

• Read Leah Savas’ recent report on how pro-lifers in Idaho are debating the best way to craft abortion laws while managing pro-abortion backlash.
• Listen to my report on ballot measures across the nation that deal with concerns over non-citizen voting.
• Carolina Lumetta and I cover a blockbuster Supreme Court case this year that tossed a controversial abortion law back to the lower courts. Listen to further coverage of the case on The World and Everything in It.
• Lauren Canterberry reports on a joint case Idaho and West Virginia hope to take to the Supreme Court about women’s sports.
• Lauren Canterberry also writes about a recent lawsuit Idaho joined against the FDA for approving abortive drugs.

Visit the WORLD Election Center 2024 to follow our state-by-state coverage between now and November.