Election Day is upon us. Did you just realize that you aren’t as ready to vote as you hoped to be by now? Are you still not sure where to vote or who will be on the ballot? Are you thinking that it’s all just too confusing and so you aren’t going to get around to voting this year?
Well, don’t despair. If you are reading this before the evening of Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020 there is still time to participate in this election.
I’ve put together a quick guide to help last-minute voters with some questions they may have.
How to Find Your Polling Place
Usually, voting takes place at the same location every year. But if you’ve never voted or if you’ve recently moved then you are probably wondering where to go. You can look up your polling place by going here: https://elections.sos.idaho.gov/ElectionLink/ElectionLink/ViewPollingLocation.aspx
Enter your address and you’ll see a screen with info about what precinct you are in and where to vote. A map will also show up. You can even text or email the information to yourself.
When you arrive at the location there should be a “Vote Here” sign out front. When you go inside there will be friendly poll workers there to help you.
How to Find a Sample Ballot
The presidential race has been front and center for this election. But there are other races going on too. There are people running for the US Legislature and the Idaho Legislature. There are also county and city races, local issues, and judges on the ballot. If you want to know what to expect ahead of time you can look up a sample ballot.
Each county should have sample ballots available. The easiest way to find your sample ballot is to google: [County Name] Idaho Sample Ballot 2020. This should bring up your county election office website. Links to sample ballots will be available on that website.
Take a look at your ballot and research any candidates or initiatives you have questions about. One of the good things about waiting to vote is that there should be a lot of information about the candidates available by now. Your local newspaper should have issued endorsements for local races. The Idaho Statesman will have coverage of the Statewide races. I’ve found that googling candidates and/or looking at their Facebook Pages is a quick way to weed out the political wackadoos from the serious candidates.
Feel free to make notes to bring with you when you vote. If you are still unsure about who to vote for you can always leave a race blank. You do not have to vote on every race that appears on your ballot.
How to do Same-Day Registration
Idaho allows you to register to vote at your polling place on Election Day. So don’t worry about getting turned away from the polls if you haven’t registered to vote yet. You do need to fit some qualifications and to bring some ID with you in order to register at the polling place.
First, are you a US Citizen and over 18 years old on election day?
Yes, okay next question. Have you lived at your current address for 30 days or more?
Yes, okay next question. Check your driver’s license. Is it an Idaho Driver’s License and does it have your CURRENT address?
Great! That is all you need to bring to the polls to register to vote.
If it is not an Idaho Driver’s license or if it doesn’t have your current address then you will need to bring a photo ID and something that is a proof of address. This proof of address could be a bill, bank statement, school registration paperwork, etc. In many counties you don’t even have to have your proof of address printed out on paper. The proof of address can be on your smartphone. (This is helpful for those of us who have all our bills and banking done online.)
COVID Precautions
Are you worried about COVID-19 or have recently been tested for COVID-19? Don’t let that keep you away from the polls. Each polling place has social distancing and sanitation measures in place.
There is also an option to do curbside voting. Google the phone number for your county election office and talk to them about how to do curbside voting at your polling place.
* * *
That doesn’t seem that difficult, does it? Go over these things and then grab your ID and head to the polls. But hurry. Polls close at 8:00 PM on Tuesday, November 3rd!
