By Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane with local addendum
The November 5th General Election was a historic milestone for Idaho! With over 900,000 ballots cast, we achieved the highest total voter turnout in state history. This remarkable accomplishment wouldn’t have been possible without the extraordinary dedication of Idaho’s 44 county clerks, election officials, and poll workers across every county. Their tireless efforts ensured that Idahoans experienced a secure, transparent, and efficient election process.
Conducting an election of this magnitude is no small feat. It required months of preparation, teamwork, and an unwavering commitment to the 12 Principles of Idaho Elections —principles that prioritize accessibility, security, and accuracy. Thanks to the meticulous work of election teams, from those managing early voting to the poll workers assisting voters on Election Day, we demonstrated how these principles can translate into real success.
Leading up to the election, county election officials worked diligently to ensure that Idahoans had every opportunity to participate. The newly updated VoteIdaho.gov served as a vital resource, providing voters with personalized sample ballots and essential voting information. Early voting and in-person absentee voting were offered in all 44 counties, making voting more accessible than ever. For those registering to vote and casting their ballot on Election Day, Idaho’s same-day registration process proved invaluable for over 120,000 voters!
On Election Day, voters were met with an open and secure system they could trust. Idaho’s paper ballots provide an auditable trail that ensures accuracy. Our voting systems are rigorously tested, never connected to the internet, and paired with updated voter ID requirements. Even after the last ballot is cast, the work continues. Post-election audits in selected counties will further validate the accuracy of the results, reinforcing public trust in Idaho’s elections.
This year’s historic turnout is a testament not only to Idaho’s robust election process but to the unwavering commitment of the people behind it. To every county clerk, election official, and poll worker: Thank you! Your hard work made this election a success and upheld the integrity of Idaho’s democratic process.
Idahoans have every reason to be proud—not just of the record turnout, but of the transparent and secure system that made it possible. As an Idahoan, I am deeply honored to witness such commitment to excellence, and I hope you are proud too. Together, we’ve shown why Idaho’s elections are a model of trust and transparency for the nation.
While there are far too many involved in our local elections deserving thanks to name here, Boundary County Clerk Glenda Poston does extend her thanks to each, but names just a few of those whose contributions go above and beyond.
Linda Ashby is election judge for the Moyie Springs Precinct, where she’s served since Norma Estep was county clerk from 1983 to 1995 … well over 30 years. This was Linda’s last year as Moyie Springs Precinct Judge.
“Her tenacity and diligence with multitude of responsibilities is tremendous,” Glenda said. “She shall be missed, but there is a time for everything.”
Donna Irons has worked as constable for several precincts and currently serves the Valley View, North Bonners Ferry and Bonners Ferry/Kootenai Precincts. She is the person who announces the opening and closing of the polls, and who stands at the end of the line once 8 p.m. arrives and polls close. Donna has served Boundary County as an election worker for close to 50 years.
Poll workers aren’t at their assigned precinct polling place for an eight hour shift with lunch and set breaks. If all goes smooth, they’ll pull 14 hours on election day and some years they can go for more than 24 hours, and no one works harder or longer than the precinct judges.
So hectic and demanding are their duties they’ve been known to go home, exhausted after a long, long day, lay their weary head on the pillow and close their eyes … only to snap wide awake, jump out of bed and race back in wearing their night clothes, having forgotten to post the results!
This year’s team of precinct judges; Charlene Wells, who is this year’s newest after stepping up to take over for Linda Alt, still working but a slightly slower pace, in the North Bonners Ferry Precinct, Linda Cromwell, Melanie Staples, Diana Tombleson, Sandy Daniel and Linda Ashby, have Glenda’s express thanks for the long and hard work they do —
from setting up the area, to receiving and reconciling the ballots at the end of the day to answering voter questions, and making sure that the election process runs smoothly.
For the 2024 Presidential Election, Boundary County had 90 employees setting up, facilitating the elections process all day and then taking down and stowing everything for next election.
The City of Moyie Springs this year, in conjunction with Boundary County, installed an exit ramp, which made the flow of voters so much more smooth.
While some county voters moved away and were taken off the rolls, 646 new voters registered for the the November 5, 2024, election. And although polls closed at precisely 8 p.m. election day, staff has only now finished attending all the details involved in getting election results from each precinct to the county and from the county to the state accurately and on time.
While Boundary County, having been audited following this year’s primary election and won’t be audited again until all 44 Idaho counties have enjoyed that process, Glenda is pleased that after such a busy and consequential election, the results of the DS-200 poll place ballot scanners and vote tabulators matched the hand count.
And that leaves one more group meriting thanks and their community’s appreciation.
“Cherry Grainger is the Lead Election Clerk for my office and it is hard to describe the amount of work involved and the depth of her knowledge regarding so many questions and issues that can come up,” Glenda said. “Boundary County is very grateful for her dedication to this job for the county and state.”
Thanks goes also to election staff Pam Barton, Rebecca Jensen, Kelly Navarro and Lauressa Borgman.
“One day in the office we had a voter come into vote every 2.3 minutes,” Glenda said. “To say we were busy is an understatement. We ended up voting over 2,800 absentee voters and then on election day those were opened and tallied.”