Bill limiting early voting dies in Idaho Senate

An Idaho Senate panel has spiked a measure that would have limited early voting throughout the state.

Republican Rep. Dustin Manwaring, the bill’s sponsor, argued Wednesday that Idaho currently lacks a standardized system for early voting. However, members on the Senate State Affairs Committee countered that the bill took local control away from county clerks and there wasn’t a pending need for the change.

Currently, county clerks have the choice to begin early voting on or before the third week from the election. This has resulted in a hodgepodge of early voting start dates across the state, with the majority of smaller counties choosing not to open the polls early to save on costs.