Early voting set to open for Nov. 5 election

By Reader Staff

Early voting in the Tuesday, Nov. 5 election will open Monday, Oct. 21 and run through Friday, Nov. 1, according to the Bonner County Elections Office.

Hours will be Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Elections Office (1500 Highway 2, Suite 124, in Sandpoint). 

As Bonner County Clerk Michael Rosedale told the Reader in early October, voters are invited to visit the office to cast their ballots during the early voting period, or mail in a request for an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots must be requested by Friday, Oct. 25.

“[W]e verify signatures then, and we verify the signatures again when we get them back,” Rosedale said. “That’s to make sure somebody didn’t intercept it. You can always drop it off at the Elections Office — we have a drop box under a camera in the foyer.”

As always, Rosedale urged voters not to wait to request an absentee ballot.

“Every election we get ballots back the days following the election because they got hung up in the mail or received on Election Day after 8 p.m.,” he said.

Voters can register or update their registration up to and including Election Day, with all information online — including how to check registration status — at voteidaho.gov/voter-registration. The Bonner County Elections Office website also has all the necessary voting information, as well as a calendar of important dates and deadlines, at bonnercountyid.gov/departments/CountyClerk under “Elections” in the menu.