Supporters of a proposed abortion-rights ballot measure turned in nearly 110,000 signatures Thursday at Idaho’s Capitol, advancing their effort to place the initiative before voters in November. The submission came after months of grassroots signature gathering, with supporters arguing they have cleared the threshold needed to qualify for the general election ballot.

The initiative would legalize abortion until fetal viability and in emergency situations, and would establish reproductive health and privacy protections in medical decision-making. Idaho’s current law bans abortion in nearly all circumstances, making it a felony for physicians to perform the procedure and threatening their medical licenses. The law also permits civil lawsuits by family members of an aborted fetus and contains exemptions only to prevent the mother’s death—not to protect her health—plus narrow rape and incest exceptions in the first trimester with a police report.

The Signature Threshold

To qualify for the November ballot, the initiative must meet a two-part signature requirement: at least 6% of registered voters statewide, plus 6% of registered voters in at least 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts. The campaign’s submission suggests organizers believe they have met or come close to those thresholds, though the Secretary of State’s office will verify the signatures.

Hundreds of volunteers and supporters gathered at the Capitol rotunda Thursday for the signature delivery. Campaign leaders expressed confidence in the effort. “Make no mistake, we have qualified to be on the ballot in November,” one campaign official said at the event.

The Uphill Road Ahead

Even if the initiative qualifies for the ballot, organizers face significant structural challenges. Ballot initiatives in Idaho have succeeded at a low rate: only three have qualified in the past decade, and just one of those three—the 2018 Medicaid expansion measure—won voter approval.

The political environment appears hostile to the abortion-rights push. The Idaho Republican Party approved a resolution at its summer meeting last month calling on the Legislature to repeal any abortion initiative if voters approved it. The party has positioned itself firmly against the measure.

Beyond the political opposition, one supporter highlighted the personal stakes. Desiree Ballis, a Blaine County resident who has become involved in the campaign, described the signature milestone as crucial but acknowledged the challenge ahead. “This is a milestone, and the hardest work begins now,” she said. Ballis has spoken publicly about her 20-week fetal diagnosis that was fatal, a scenario not covered under Idaho’s current exemptions.

Next Steps

The Secretary of State will now verify the submitted signatures to confirm whether the initiative qualifies for the ballot. If validated, the measure would require a simple majority of votes in November to pass.

The signature campaign drew both support and opposition at the Capitol. A couple hundred volunteers participated in Thursday’s submission event, while around a dozen anti-abortion protesters affiliated with White Rose Resistance also gathered at the building.

The abortion initiative represents one of the more significant ballot efforts in recent Idaho electoral cycles and reflects the state’s ongoing debate over reproductive policy following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Idaho has since enacted some of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws. Similar ballot signature drives in the state have faced challenges at the verification stage, underscoring that qualifying for the ballot is not guaranteed even with a large signature submission.