Idaho Lawmakers Give Clerks More Time to Handle Absentee Ballots

Idaho lawmakers passed a measure Wednesday that would give election officials more time to prepare and count an expected deluge of mail-in ballots in Nov. 3’s general election from an electorate apprehensive of in-person voting during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Clerks would get 15 extra days to send absentee ballots to voters under the bill (S 1001a), moving the deadline to 30 days before the election.

The measure also would give clerks more time to count the results by allowing them to open and scan ballots beginning seven days before election day. No results would be tabulated for absentee ...