Idaho Vote by Mail

BOISE—Idaho voters are a step closer to being able to vote by mail without having to request an absentee ballot each year.

An initiative petition filed by Idaho Vote by Mail, Inc. to allow permanent absentee voting by mail in Idaho has passed final review by the Idaho Secretary of State and Attorney General.

“We are very pleased that we have cleared the first hurdle in the process,” said Larry Grant, Chairman of Idaho Vote by Mail. “Now we can put our organizational plan in operation and collect the signatures we need to give voters the opportunity to have permanent absentee balloting in Idaho.”

The original petition was filed with the Idaho Secretary of State’s office on June 15, 2009. Following provisions of the Idaho initiative statute, the Secretary of State referred the proposal to the Idaho Attorney General’s office, which reviewed the petition and provided comments.

After taking those comments into consideration, Idaho Vote by Mail elected to proceed with the petition.

This week the Attorney General’s office provided the short and long ballot titles required for the initiative and the Secretary of State’s office provided final instructions on form. Idaho Vote by Mail can now begin collecting the necessary signatures to put the proposal on the ballot in 2012. It has 18 months to collect the necessary 51,712 signatures.

“Our initiative is a non-partisan effort to bring voting by mail to those people in Idaho who need it,” Grant said. “Currently in Idaho if you want to vote by absentee ballot you have to request a ballot each year. The purpose of this initiative is to allow folks the option of automatically getting an absentee ballot without having to ask for it again and again.”

In 2007, all 44 of Idaho’s county clerks sponsored and supported a bill in the Idaho Legislature to provide for voting by mail in all elections, a system that is being successfully used in Oregon. Legislative leaders tabled the bill and the issue has not been addressed by the Legislature since.

Idaho Vote by Mail, Inc., is an Idaho non-profit corporation.

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