Idaho voters, the deadline is Friday to request your absentee ballot

Friday at 5 p.m. is the deadline for Idahoans to request absentee ballots for the May 16 election.

Idaho voters can make their request through the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office or by visiting a county elections office.

Idaho voters have until 11 days prior to an election to make their request for an absentee ballot. Idaho does not require a reason for voting absentee. (Voters may also submit requests by mail, but it’s unlikely a mail-in request would reach election officials in time for this Friday’s deadline.)

How to vote absentee

Voters must return completed ballots to county elections offices by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

That can be accomplished by:

• dropping off the ballot in-person at the county elections office,
• placing the ballot in a designated county elections ballot drop box, or
• returning it by mail. Mail-in absentee ballots must be received (not postmarked or mailed) at the elections office by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.

“By requesting an absentee ballot, you can exercise your right to vote in a local election in a way that is secure and convenient for you,” Ada County Clerk Trent Tripple said in a news release. “Voting with an absentee ballot also gives voters flexibility to cast their ballot ahead of Election Day.”

Missed the absentee ballot request deadline? Here’s how to vote

Idahoans also can vote early in Ada County and other counties until May 12.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time on Election Day, May 16.

Check with county clerks or visit voteidaho.gov for more information on the May 16 election and to find locations for early voting and Election Day voting.