Bannock County booming with early votes, neighboring counties falling short
BANNOCK COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - While 14 states await the results of the Super Tuesday primary elections, Idahoans have a week left to choose the presidential nominees.
People in Bannock County are preparing for the March 10 election by voting early. In fact, more than 1,200 people have already voted in Bannock County.
That's a significant increase from the March 2016 presidential primary where about 430 people voted early.
"It's amazing and it's great to see people are getting involved," said elections manager Julie Hancock.
That trend stops in Bannock County. Power, Bingham, Bonneville and Jefferson counties have all reported a lower turnout for early voting this year.
Power County election officials say early voting is down considerably from the 400 votes cast in 2016, to less than 50 in 2020.
One possible reason for the upswing in Bannock County is the addition of the School Plant Facilities Levy to the ballot. But, several other counties are also voting on school levies on March 10.
The Idaho Democratic Party switched over from a caucus to a primary election for 2020, possibly encouraging more voter turnout. But, again, that change was statewide and not specific to Bannock County.
Early voting ends Friday, March 6. People can then vote on March 10 at their polling place (which you can find here).
More information about voting in Idaho, including how to register to vote, can be found here.