Idaho Republicans Introduce Voter ID Law and Ballot Collection Ban
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican legislators in Idaho have introduced several bills that limit the options for Idahoans to cast a ballot. House Bill 549 would alter the state’s voter identification requirements, removing student IDs from the list of acceptable forms of voter identification while adding concealed weapons permits that contain date of birth and address. H.B. 549 would also remove the affidavit option for voters without an ID and eliminate the state’s Election Day registration.
House Bill 547 would make it illegal to collect and return multiple absentee ballots for other voters, with a few exceptions. This benign practice known as community ballot collection is especially useful for Native American communities. Last year, a nearly identical bill passed the Idaho House but failed in the state Senate. Both H.B. 549 and H.B. 547 have cleared the first vote in the House State Affairs Committee and will receive a full public hearing.