Stricter voter affiliation bill narrowly passes Idaho House

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bill that would require unaffiliated voters to join a political party earlier in the year if they want to vote in the primary narrowly passed the Idaho House on Monday after lively debate.

The bill from Rep. Doug Okuniewicz, a Republican from Hayden, would require Idaho’s roughly 310,000 unaffiliated voters to join a political party before the candidate filing period closes if they want to vote in a closed primary election.

Current state law allows unaffiliated voters to make that decision at the polling place on Election Day.

But opponents on both sides of the aisle said the bill could block some voters who have legitimate reasons for staying unaffiliated.