BOISE, Idaho — Beginning May 2nd, voters can take to the polls for early voting in Ada and Canyon Counties.
“There's a lot of local interest in the ballot I think,” said Trent Tripple, chief deputy clerk for Ada County Elections.
There is a lot on the ballot this year that Tripple says is sparking increased interest on a local level.
"We have offices ranging from the governor all the way down to some of the County offices and even precinct committeeman for parties,” he said. "We have seen a lot of interest in precinct committeemen actually and that may drive voter turnout more than we expect."
While Tripple says it would be nice to have 100% of voter turnout, he’s excited to see local interest.
"Local politics has a great impact on people's lives and so we hope that people will exercise their constitutional right to come out and vote and elect the people that are going to represent them at a local level whether that's in the legislature or city and County elections those are all important decisions that affect our daily lives,” Tripple said.
From May 2nd to May 13th early voting will be available for Ada County voters at the Boise City Hall, Meridian City Hall, and Ada County Elections office, from 8 am to 5 pm.
For Canyon County voters, from May 2nd to May 13th early voting will be available at Celebration Church, and the Canyon County Elections Office, from 8 am to 5 pm.
According to Tripple, the majority of Idahoans cast their ballots on election day, but he says there are many benefits to early voting.
"There are numerous reasons why early voting is a convenience for the voter, one is that many people find it difficult to get off work on election day, they also have a desire to vote in person,” Tripple said. "It's also our most secure form of voting in that we print the ballot on demand right there for them."
With 300,000 registered voters in Ada County, Tripple says they are excited to see voters taking to the polls for the next two weeks.
"There's a lot of interest and a lot of local races that are happening as well as some of the statewide races so we expect a 30 to 40 percent turnout for this."
Early voting is from May 2nd to May 13th. Absentee ballots for Ada County must be turned in to election headquarters by 8 pm on May 17th.
Early voters can also vote at the Ada county mobile voting center, for dates and locations click here.
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