Idaho Legislature Sends Strict Voter Registration Bill to Governor

UPDATE: On Tuesday, April 4, Gov. Brad Little (R) signed House Bill 340 into law.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, March 28, the Idaho Senate passed House Bill 340, which would tighten proof of ID and residency requirements needed to register to vote. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Brad Little (R).

H.B. 340 requires all individuals to present proof of ID and proof of residency when registering to vote. Currently, existing law only requires voters to prove their residency and make an oath or affirmation of their identity. To prove their identity under H.B. 340, individuals would have to produce

  • A current Idaho driver’s license or ID card,
  • A current passport or other ID issued by the federal government,
  • A current tribal identification card or
  • A current Idaho concealed carry permit.

Notably, the bill excludes student IDs from the list of acceptable IDs for registration and removes them as an option to prove residency. The state recently enacted a law removing student IDs from the list of acceptable IDs for voting too, a move that has drawn two lawsuits for discriminating against younger voters.  

Read H.B. 340 here.

Track the status of H.B. 340 here.