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Committee introduces bill to tighten absentee ballot eligibility; adds age exemption
Summary
Representative Joe Alfieri introduced RS 32,124 proposing narrower criteria for absentee ballots and an explicit qualification that anyone 65 or older may apply. Lawmakers questioned wording, enforcement, and whether the change would affect working voters; the committee voted to introduce the proposal for print.
Representative Joe Alfieri of Coeur D'Alene introduced RS 32,124 to change how absentee ballots are distributed and to narrow the qualifying reasons for receiving an absentee ballot, while adding a specific allowance that “anyone over 65 can also apply for an absentee ballot with no issue.”
Alfieri told the committee the bill is intended to reduce a perceived fraud risk associated with mailed ballots, saying that when ballots are mailed “you lose the chain of command” and that in-person voting provides more secure identification checks. He said the proposal revises the reasons that permit absentee voting to a shorter list — for example, military service, being out of state for school or diplomatic…
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