Your Vote, Your Voice: Secretary McGrane urges Idahoans to hit the polls for Tuesday’s Primary

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — With Tuesday’s primary election fast approaching, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane is aiming to remind and educate voters of the importance of Idaho's primaries. Speaking to the Idaho Falls City Club on Thursday, it was noted that only about 30% of Idaho’s 2 million residents typically participate in the primary process, which means the entire election is typically up to roughly 600,000 voters.

With this in mind, McGrane stressed the importance of each vote. Addressing Idaho’s status as one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, McGrane emphasized that every vote makes a difference, including new Idahoans.

"Let's say they got here a month ago, but they want to participate in the election," said Secretary McGrane. "The good news is they still can. In Idaho, we have same day registration. So as long as you bring photo identification and proof of residence, you can show up to the polls and register."

Newer voters should be prepared for specific party restrictions when they arrive at the polls. Because the primary is the process parties use to choose their final candidates for November, the rules vary by affiliation:

• The Idaho Republican Primary: Closed. Only voters registered as Republicans may participate.
• The Idaho Democratic Primary: Open. Voters of any party affiliation may request this ballot.
• Unaffiliated Voters: Idahoans not belonging to a party may choose any ballot. However, to vote in the Republican primary, an unaffiliated voter must register as a Republican at the polling place.

The window for early voting is closing rapidly, with the state’s official primary day set for early next week. Voters will have until 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 14th to cast their ballot as part of early voting.

On election day, polls will open Tuesday, May 19, at 8:00 a.m. Idahoans could start to see the results of the election as early as 9:00 p.m.

Local News 8 will be monitoring the results closely and sharing them live on our voter resources page, HERE.