KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — The Kootenai County elections office reported at least 6,500 ballots have been cast between early and absentee voters as of Wednesday.
The office is expecting plenty more to roll in as election day gets closer and closer, including many on election day.
Poll workers and judges are also preparing to be met with some potentially disgruntled voters who aren't aware of the new state laws around registration.
Those new laws prevent someone from using an out-of-state driver's license as a valid form of photo identification.
"As of July 1st, that is no longer," Kootenai County Clerk Jennifer Locke said. "You do have to have a current ID, Idaho driver’s license or ID card.”
- Federal ID card or passport
- Tribal ID card
- Concealed weapons license
The laws come after Idaho legislators passed House Bill 340, which regulates the identity verification process for voter registration across the state.
The laws also affect what qualifies as proof of residency.
"An example is cell phone bills," Locke said. "You used to be able to use that as proof of residency, but now, you can't. You could do a utility bill, assessment bill, a bank statement.”
- Proof of insurance
- Property tax assessment
- Mortgage, lease or rental agreement
Locke said the office has had to turn away some early voters because they didn’t have the right documents. Luckily, there’s been enough time to correct it.
“She didn’t have her Idaho driver’s license," Locke said. "Now, she was able to get it and get that taken care of.”
But with some people expected to wait until election day to register, she wants voters to come prepared.
“We're trying to get the message out and hopefully our judges and poll workers will be patient to help our voters find the proper ID and proper proof of residency," Locke said.
Locke said she hopes voters, not only have the right paperwork to register to vote if needed, but she also wants them to know where to go to vote.
"People have to vote at the precinct on election day," Locke said. "People always come to the election office to vote the day of and we have to direct them to their polling place."
Polling places are determined by a voter's address.
Early voting is accessible through Friday at 5 p.m. at the elections office. After that, voters will need to go to their polling place to register and vote in person.
Polls close on Nov. 7 at 8 p.m.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: Search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
Apple TV: Search "Spokane News from KREM" in the Apple store or follow this link.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.