BOISE, Idaho — The end of one election means the start of another this year — and for Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane’s elections officials, that means another hectic few weeks.
McGrane and his team are putting together a Boise mayoral runoff election for Dec. 3. Residents can now request an absentee ballot to vote by mail and early voting starts Monday.
Ada County Commissioners on Tuesday codified results of the Nov. 5 election after the clerk’s office recanvassed vote counts to make sure there were no mistakes or oddities.
Constructing a runoff election for the first time in 16 years has been an “extremely challenging” experience, McGrane said.
“The elections crew has been working tirelessly to get everything done in time for the election,” he said.
This election will be much smaller than the one held last week, which involved multiple cities. But with the short turnaround, there will be changes.
Early voting will be different in the runoff. The county’s mobile voting truck will not be used. Only two in-person, early-voting sites — one at Boise City Hall, 150 N. Capitol Blvd., and the other at county elections headquarters, 400 N. Benjamin Lane — will be open for the two-week early voting period, which runs Nov. 18-29.
“It will be open Monday through Friday from 8-5,” McGrane said about early in-person voting access. “Thanksgiving is the only day it will not be open, but we will be open on Black Friday.”
McGrane said absentee ballots were mailed out Tuesday, but people can still request mail-in ballots. The clerk’s website suggests people request their ballots at least 11 days before the election. Mail-in ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. Dec. 3.
The clerk also wanted to let people know only Boise residents can vote in the mayoral runoff election.
“There are people who live in the Foothills who want to vote on it but aren’t annexed into the city,” he said. “It’s only for people who live in the city of Boise.”
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