BOISE, Idaho — Ballot requests for the upcoming Idaho Primary election are due May 19. For those who have not returned a request form, the Idaho Secretary of State's Office has a reminder about what to do -- and not do -- in order to request and receive a ballot.
The primary, scheduled for May 19, is now an all-absentee ballot election because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Registered Idaho voters were sent a ballot request form in early May.
To request a ballot by mail, voters must open the mailer, tear off the postcard, complete the postcard, sign it, and drop it back in the mailbox.
The cards include prepaid postage and are pre-addressed so that they will go directly to the appropriate county elections office.
"Over the last week, we've seen some voters who have put their ballot request form in an envelope and mailed it to the Idaho Secretary of State's Office," said Chad Houck, Idaho's Chief Deputy Secretary of State.
Houck said in a news release Tuesday that the Secretary of State's Office is rerouting those ballot request forms to the county elections offices.
"We want to remind voters who haven't mailed in their ballot request forms yet that all they need to do is to fill out the form and put it in the mail. Voters do not need to put the form in an envelope or add any postage. Those who have already requested their ballot either online or by paper form from their county clerk for this election need not send in a second request," he added.
The ballot request form mailed to voters is bound together with an adhesive seal. Once voters break the seal and open the mailer, they will see the tear-off pre-paid, pre-addressed postcard.
You can also request your ballot online.
The Secretary of State's Office mailed more than 550,000 ballot request forms statewide.
Most voters, Houck said, are returning their ballot request forms in the mail to their county elections office with no problems.
As of Monday, less than 200 forms had been incorrectly mailed to the Secretary of State's Office.
Houck said requests are being processed as quickly as possible to give voters plenty of time to return their ballot by the deadline, which is 8 p.m. on June 2.
Ballots will be counted and election results will be released that night.