Tuesday was a busy day for election-related bills in Boise. Several bills were advanced out of policy committees with about 10 days left in the 2024 session.
The House State Affairs Committee voted to keep people who try to influence voters on Election Day at least 250 feet away from the entrance of polling places. The sponsor, Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint, says the current limit is 100 feet.
“This legislation addresses a growing problem at the polls on Election Day in Idaho," he said. "That problem is voters being interfered with as they come and go from the polls. It could be overzealous campaign workers, but it could also be petition gatherers, so this bill cuts both ways, actually.”
The bill goes to the full House of Representatives. It has already passed the Senate.
The committee also voted to require people with initiative petitions who approach voters to disclose when they’re getting paid to collect signatures.
Speaking of initiatives, the committee approved a bill from Sen. Doug Okuniewicz, R-Coeur d'Alene, that gives legislators some tools to speak out for or against citizen initiatives.
“If passed, you would be able to use your email in your official capacity, letterhead and so on to make arguments for or against any initiative or referendum that finds itself on the ballot," he said.
Okuniewicz argues it makes no sense for lawmakers to be allowed to opine in their communications with voters about policy issues considered by legislators, but not about citizen initiatives.
Opponents argue the bill comes just in time for a full-out assault by legislators in case Reclaim Idaho's Open Primaries initiative qualifies for the ballot.
That bill is also headed to the House floor with the Senate already having passed it.
Another measure from Okuniewicz proposes to change the state’s constitution to forbid non-U.S. citizens from voting in Idaho.
Secretary of State Phil McGrane says that's already the law of Idaho and vigorously enforced, but he says the public perception is they do cast ballots.
“Just the clarifying elements of this really do help put Idahoans’ minds at ease that their votes are secure, that their votes count the way they intended them to, and so that is why I’m really offering my support in this case," he said.
The amendment passed out of the Senate State Affairs Committee to the full Senate, where it will need a two-thirds margin to advance. It has already cleared the House, 63-6.
Finally, the House State Affairs Committee approved a proposal by Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sandpoint, to reduce the length of terms for local library board members from six years to four. He says the legislature voted to lengthen the terms about a dozen years ago, but should be reduced again to be consistent with the length of terms of other elected bodies.
Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, says the terms were changed to six years because of the lack of public interest then in serving on library boards.
