Idaho S 1451: ELECTIONS – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the counting and adjudication of ballots.

Bill Text

LEGISLATUREOFTHESTATEOFIDAHO
Sixty-eighthLegislatureSecondRegularSession-2026
INTHESENATE
SENATEBILLNO.1451
BYJUDICIARYANDRULESCOMMITTEE
ANACT1
RELATINGTOELECTIONS;AMENDINGSECTION34-1203,IDAHOCODE,TOREVISEPRO-2
VISIONSREGARDINGTHECOUNTINGOFBALLOTS;AMENDINGSECTION34-1203A,3
IDAHOCODE,TOESTABLISHAPROVISIONREGARDINGPOSTELECTIONAUDITOF4
SELECTEDBALLOTS;AMENDINGSECTION34-2313,IDAHOCODE,TOESTABLISHA5
PROVISIONREGARDINGRECOUNTPROCEDURESFORAUTOMATEDTABULATIONSYS-6
TEMS;ANDDECLARINGANEMERGENCY.7
BeItEnactedbytheLegislatureoftheStateofIdaho:8
SECTION1.ThatSection34-1203,IdahoCode,be,andthesameishereby9
amendedtoreadasfollows:10
34-1203.COUNTINGOFBALLOTS--CERTIFICATESOFJUDGES--BALLOTADJU
-11
DICATION
.(1)Theballotsandpollslistsagreeing,theelectionpersonnel12
shallthenproceedtotallythevotescast.Undereachofficetitle,thenum-13
berofvotesforeachcandidateandsuchotherinformationrequiredbythe14
secretaryofstateshallbeenteredinthetallybookstogetherwiththeto-15
taloftheabovefiguresinthemannerprescribedbythesecretaryofstate.16
Anyballotorpartofaballotfromwhichitisimpossibletodeterminethe17
elector'schoiceshallbevoidandshallnotbecounted.Whenaballotis18
sufficientlyplaintodeterminetherefromapartofthevoter'sintention,19
itshallbethedutyofthejudgestocountsuchpart.20
(2)Followingthecounting,thejudgesmusttransmitacopyofthere-21
sultstothecountyclerk.22
(3)(a)Foranyelectioninwhichatleastone(1)officeelectionor23
ballotquestioninthecountyoccursinbothtimezonesinIdaho,the24
countyclerkshallreleasenoelectionresultstothepublicuntilall25
votingplacesinthestatehaveclosedonelectionday.26
(b)Ifnoofficeelectionorballotquestioninthecountyoccursin27
bothtimezonesinIdaho,thecountyclerkmayreleasetheelectionre-28
sultstothepublicatanytimeafterallvotingplacesinthecounty29
haveclosedonelectionday.30
(4)Thesecretaryofstateshallissuedirectivesorpromulgateadmin-31
istrativerulesadoptingstandardsthatdefinewhatconstitutesavoteand32
whatwillbecountedasavoteforeachcategoryofvotingsystemusedinthis33
state.34
(5)
Eachvoteratapollingplaceshallhavetheabilitytoadjudicate35
suchvoter'sballotinthecaseofanovervote.Whenusingavotetallysys
-36
tempursuanttochapter24,title34,IdahoCode,toprocessandtabulate
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markedpaperballots,ifaballotisfoundtohaveanovervote,thatbal
-38
lotshallbereviewedandadjudicatedasifitwerecountedbyhandforthat
39
raceorquestionforwhichtheballotwascast.Thecountyclerkshallapply
40
thesamestandardsadoptedbythesecretaryofstateforthehandcounting
41
ofovervoteswhencountingovervotesprocessedbyavotetallysystem'stab
-42

2
ulationofballots.Aftereachballotwithanovervoteisreviewedandad-1
judicated,ifitisnecessarytoexecutethevoter'sintent,aclerkmayuse2
thevotetallysystem'sadjudicationsoftwareprocesstocorrecttheover-3
votetoreflectthevoter'sintent,oraduplicateballotshallbeproduced4
toreflectthevoter'sintentandprocessedthroughthevotetallysystemfor5
countingandtabulation.Theoriginalballotshallbepreservedwithappro
-6
priatenotation.
7
SECTION2.ThatSection34-1203A,IdahoCode,be,andthesameishereby8
amendedtoreadasfollows:9
34-1203A.POSTELECTIONAUDITOFSELECTEDBALLOTS.10
(1)(a)Afterthecompletionofallcountycanvassesforanyprimary11
orgeneralelection,thesecretaryofstateshallidentifyandordera12
postelectionauditofcertainpaperballotscastinanyelection,shall13
immediatelyposttothewebsiteoftheofficeofthesecretaryofstatea14
listoftheelections,counties,andprecinctsselectedforaudit,and15
shallimmediatelynotifyeachaffectedcountyclerkandcountysheriff16
ofthesame.Uponreceivingsuchnotification,thecountysheriffshall17
immediatelyimpoundandtakeintocustodytheaffectedballotspursuant18
totheproceduresinchapter23,title34,IdahoCode.Uponcompletion19
ofthepostelectionaudit,theballotsshallberesealedandreturned20
tothecustodyofthecountyclerkor,intheeventthattheballotsare21
subjecttoarecountpursuanttochapter23,title34,IdahoCode,tothe22
countysheriff.Thepostelectionauditshallinclude,ataminimum,a23
handrecountoftheballotssubjecttotheauditandacomparisontothe24
resultsreportedbythecountyforanyprecincts,days,batches,leg-25
islativedistricts,andtabulationmachinesselectedforaudit.26
(b)Apostelectionauditauthorizedpursuanttoparagraph(a)ofthis27
subsectionmaybeorderedfor:28
(i)AnyorallfederalelectionsheldinIdaho;29
(ii)Theelectionforgovernor;30
(iii)Thestatewideofficeelectionhavingthenarrowestpercent-31
agemarginofvotes;32
(iv)Thestatewideballotquestionelectionhavingthenarrowest33
percentagemarginofvotes;and34
(v)One(1)legislativeofficeelectionwithinthecounty.35
(c)Theprecinctsselectedforauditpursuanttoparagraph(a)ofthis36
subsectionshall:37
(i)Beselectedbylotbythesecretaryofstatewithouttheuseof38
acomputeratanopenpublicmeetinggovernedbytheprovisionsof39
chapter2,title74,IdahoCode;and40
(ii)Notexceedfivepercent(5%)oftheprecinctsinthecountyor41
one(1)precinct,whicheverisgreater.Provided,however,that42
multipleprecinctsmaybeselectedinanycountyifthenumberof43
ballotsfromtheprecinctssoselectedislessthantwothousand44
onehundred(2,100).45
(d)Thesecretaryofstate,inlieuofauditingtheearlyorabsentee46
ballotsfroma