IdahoIdaho requires candidate names to rotate on covered election ballots
Candidates for federal, state, county, and local offices take turns in ballot positions in areas with more than 25,000 registered voters at the last general election.
What it does
Candidate names rotate on ballots for federal, state, county, and local offices in areas with more than 25,000 registered voters at the last general election. Other elections use a randomly chosen alphabet.
Argument forRotating candidate names could give candidates more equal chances to appear first on ballots in areas covered by the rule.
Argument againstUsing a randomly chosen alphabet in other elections could make candidate names harder for voters to find than regular alphabetical order.
More detail
Candidate names must rotate between ballot positions in the manner Idaho’s secretary of state determines. The rotation rule covers federal, state, county, and local offices in areas that had more than 25,000 registered voters at the last general election. In all other elections, the secretary of state chooses a random alphabet before each election. Candidates are ordered using the first letter of their last names. The law took effect on July 1, 2026.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed 1st Chamber
- Passed 2nd Chamber
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Mar 30Reported Signed by Governor Brad Little on March 26, 2026 Session Law Chapter 186 Effective: 07/01/2026Became Law
- Mar 26Delivered to Governor at 12:58 p.m. on March 26, 2026To Governor
- Mar 26Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to GovernorMinor
- Mar 25Signed by President; returned to HouseMajor
- Mar 25Received from the House enrolled/signed by SpeakerMajor
- Mar 25Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to SenateMajor
- Mar 24Returned from Senate Passed; to JRA for EnrollingMinor
- Vote recorded Read third time in full –. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 24Read third time in full – PASSED - 34-0-1AYES – Adams, Anthon, Bernt, Blaylock, Burtenshaw, Carlson, Cook, Den Hartog, Foreman, Galloway, Grow, Guthrie, Harris, Hart, Keyser, Kohl, Lakey, Lenney, Lent, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Rabe, Ricks, Ruchti, Semmelroth, Shippy, Taylor, Toews, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Wintrow, Woodward, Zito, ZuiderveldNAYS – NoneAbsent and excused – Bjerke(Bjerke)Floor Sponsor - RuchtiTitle apvd - to HousePassed 2nd Chamber
- Mar 18Read second time; filed for Third ReadingMinor
- Mar 17Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second readingMinor
- Mar 6Introduced, read first time; referred to: State AffairsMinor
- Mar 6Received from the House passed; filed for first reading
- Mar 5Read Third Time in Full – PASSED - 68-1-1AYES – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Berch, Bingham, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cayler, Cheatum, Church, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Egbert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson, Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Hall(Stone), Handy, Harris, Hawkins, Haws, Healey, Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Manwaring, Marmon, Mathias, McCann, Mendive, Mickelsen(Athay), Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Nelsen, Palmer, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Price, Rasor, Raybould, Raymond, Redman, Rubel, Sauter, Scott, Shepherd, Shirts, Skaug, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Veile, Weber, Wheeler, Wisniewski, Mr. SpeakerNAYS – HillAbsent – GreenFloor Sponsor - HawsTitle apvd - to SenatePassed 1st Chamber
- Vote recorded Read Third Time in Full –. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 4U.C. to hold place on third reading calendar one legislative day
- Mar 3U.C. to hold place on third reading calendar one legislative day
- Mar 2U.C. to hold place on third reading calendar one legislative day
- Feb 27Read second time; Filed for Third ReadingMinor
- Feb 26Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second ReadingMinor
- Feb 20Reported Printed and Referred to State Affairs
- Feb 19Introduced, read first time, referred to JRA for PrintingIntroduced
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