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Committee hears hours of testimony on HB 139 absentee restrictions; motions to advance fail on tie votes
Summary
Representative Joe Alfieri sponsored HB 139 to narrow absentee ballot eligibility and limit who may send absentee ballot applications; the Secretary of State and county clerks testified against broad restrictions while some witnesses supported the bill; two motions to either hold or advance the bill failed on 7–7 outcomes so no action was taken.
Representative Joe Alfieri presented House Bill 139, which would tighten eligibility for absentee ballots and restrict who may send absentee-ballot applications to voters.
Alfieri described two main elements: (1) narrower qualifications for obtaining an absentee ballot (returning absentee voting closer to its historical, limited uses); and (2) a prohibition on sending absentee ballot applications to voters unless the elector directly requested one. Alfieri argued absentee voting raises chain-of-custody, signature-verification and coercion risks, and cited selective local incidents (for example, ‘‘hundreds of ballot recommendations… found in a dumpster in Rathdrum’’) and broader national concerns.
The hearing drew extended public testimony. Multiple speakers opposed HB 139, arguing absentee voting is secure and crucial for people with caregiving responsibilities, chronic illness, work schedules, students and rural residents. Yvonne Sandmeier said Idaho has “safe and secure elections with no fraud that would have affected election outcomes” and urged the committee to hold the bill. Mary Ruck, Lisa Hecht and others said restricting absentee options would make voting harder and lengthen lines on Election Day. County clerks likewise warned rural residents and first responders could be disadvantaged if absentee access is narrowed.
Secretary of State Phil McGrane testified that Idaho had a record 917,000 voters in the last election and emphasized that Idaho’s system balances access and security. He said the office and county clerks had signed a pre-election commitment and that recent improvements include training on signature verification for election staff. McGrane said the proposed bill “doesn't increase the security of absentee balloting at all. It merely reduces the access to absentee balloting.” He also noted historical precedent: Idaho had excuse-based absentee voting decades ago before the adoption of broader early/absentee options.
Witnesses supporting the bill, including Jackie Davidson and Tim O’Donnell (representing Secure Idaho), argued absentee ballots remain more vulnerable because they are unobserved and largely handled by the U.S. Postal Service; O’Donnell said ES&S executives had told him absentee ballots were the easiest avenue for cheating.
Procedure and outcome: Representative Hostetler moved to send HB 139 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. The committee later considered a substitute motion to hold the bill (moved by Representative Mickelson) and conducted a roll-call vote; that motion failed on an apparent 7–7 tie. The subsequent roll-call on the floor motion also failed; the committee did not advance HB 139 at this hearing.
Next steps: No further committee action was recorded; the bill remains in committee pending any future motion or revised draft.
