Idaho Voters Cast 234,199 Early and Absentee Ballots

Idaho voters had cast 234,199 early and absentee ballots in the midterm election as of Friday morning, before early in-person voting closed at 5 p.m.

The total included 122,372 ballots cast at local early-voting locations and 111,827 absentee ballots. Idaho had issued 156,879 absentee ballots, putting the return rate at 71% as of Friday morning.

Ballot breakdown

Registered Republicans accounted for 139,958 submitted ballots. Unaffiliated voters had returned 50,030 ballots, while registered Democrats had cast 42,574.

Registered Libertarians submitted 1,234 ballots, and Constitution Party voters submitted 403.

Comparison with 2022

Idaho’s combined early and absentee total had already exceeded the 190,258 ballots cast through those methods in the November 2022 election. That earlier total consisted of 129,210 absentee ballots and 61,048 early in-person votes.

Early in-person participation had doubled compared with the prior midterm election. In 2022, early and absentee ballots represented 31.7% of the 599,493 ballots cast statewide.

Election Day deadline

Absentee ballots may still be returned through Election Day on Nov. 3. Idaho voters will decide races on the ballot as well as a proposal that would give the Idaho Legislature exclusive authority over regulation of marijuana and other drugs.

The proposal would also remove the option for citizen-led ballot initiatives concerning marijuana and other drugs.

Nationally, early voting reached 46 million ballots by early Friday, exceeding the 45.9 million early votes recorded in the 2022 midterms.