Idaho charts 23 percent voter turnout

By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff

It’s official: this year’s primary elections failed to light a fire in Idaho voters.

The Spokesman-Review reports the state charted a dismal 23-percent turnout of registered voters for the May 17 elections. The turnout among total eligible voters was only 14.7 percent. The news follows the official certification of election results by the Idaho Board of Canvassers.

“It could’ve been worse,” board chair and Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney told the Spokesman-Review. “I think that’s driven by who’s on the ballot and what’s on the ballot. We had from 60 percent down to 16 percent in the different counties.”

Bonner County enjoyed a comparatively vigorous turnout of 33 percent—lukewarm numbers by any other election standard. Local voters were likely more motivated to hit the polls due to contentious primaries for the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, Bonner County Board of Commissioners and Idaho State Legislature. [CR]