Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in Idaho
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for Idaho, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the Idaho Secretary of State or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 7.
Key dates
- Register online by
Friday, October 23
Online registration closes 11 days before the election; requires a current Idaho driver's license or ID card.
- Register by mail by
Friday, October 23
Pre-registration forms must be received by the county clerk by 5 p.m. local time.
- Register in person by
Tuesday, November 3
After the pre-registration deadline you can register in person at early voting or at your polling place on Election Day, with photo ID and proof of residence.
- Same-day registration
Yes
Qualified individuals may register and vote at their designated polling place on Election Day (I.C. § 34-408A).
- Early voting
Tuesday, October 13 to Friday, October 30
VoteIdaho gives October 13 as the first day; statute allows early voting on or after the fourth Monday before the election (I.C. § 34-1012).
- How early voting works
Locations and hours vary by county; check with your county elections office. Same photo ID rules apply.
- Request a mail ballot by
Friday, October 23
Received by the county clerk by 5 p.m. local time. Emergency applications for voters hospitalized after that run until 5 p.m. November 2.
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
Received, not postmarked: by the county clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day, by mail, official drop box, or at the county elections office.
- Election Day polling hours
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Anyone in line at 8 p.m. may vote.
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
Any voter can vote by mail
Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot; a new request is needed each calendar year.
- Drop boxes
Yes
'Return the completed ballot by mail, to an official elections drop box, or your county elections office.' Locations vary by county.
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Not counted — your ballot must arrive by the deadline
Absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
ID at the polls
- The rule
Photo ID requested
Photo ID is requested; a voter without one may sign an affidavit with name, address and date of birth or license number, which poll workers verify before issuing a ballot (I.C. § 34-1114, amended 2026).
- What to bring
Show one: Idaho driver's license or state ID, U.S. passport or federal photo ID, tribal photo ID, or Idaho concealed-carry license. Without one, sign an affidavit at the polls.
When will we know results in Idaho?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
8 p.m. local time (the state spans Mountain and Pacific time) — 11 p.m. Eastern
8 p.m. Pacific time in northern Idaho.
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Tuesday, November 3
Idaho Code 34-1007: absentee ballots are held unopened until they are delivered to the polls or added at tabulation. The provision allowing absentee ballots to be opened and scanned seven days early applies only to elections before December 31, 2020, so processing starts on Election Day.
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Tuesday, November 3
In central-count counties absentee ballots are held and added to precinct returns at the time of ballot tabulation; in polls-count counties they are delivered to the precinct judges (I.C. § 34-1007).
- Counties finish their count by
Thursday, November 12
County boards of canvassers meet within nine days after the election (I.C. § 34-1205).
- State certifies results
Tuesday, November 24
Deadline for the state board of canvassers to conduct the canvass.
- Automatic recount
None
No automatic recount in Title 34, chapter 23.
- Requested recount
Any candidate, or a supporter or opponent of a measure, may apply to the Attorney General (federal/state races) within 20 days of the state canvass, paying $100 per precinct to be recounted.
I.C. §§ 34-2301, 34-2302. Whether fees are refunded or waived for very close races was not confirmed.
- Runoff
No runoff — the candidate with the most votes wins
No runoff; plurality wins.
- Ranked-choice voting
Not used
Not used.
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority. Idaho Const. art. XX, § 1 says an amendment takes effect if a majority of the electors ratify it; the text sets no higher threshold.
- New governor takes office
Monday, January 4, 2027
Idaho Const. art. IV, § 1: the governor's four-year term begins on the first Monday in January after the election; the first Monday of January 2027 is January 4.
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Idaho Secretary of State.