Idaho's voter ID rules spark debate over election access for young voters
With Idaho's November general election just three weeks away, a growing debate has emerged over whether recent changes to the state's voter identification requirements have created barriers for college students and young voters.
In 2023, the Idaho Legislature passed House Bills 124 and 340, eliminating student IDs as an acceptable form of voter identification. Governor Brad Little signed the legislation into law on March 15, 2023, with the changes taking effect on January 1, 2024. The bills also created a mechanism for residents to obtain free voter ID cards from the Idaho Transportation Department.
Secretary of State Phil McGrane, who assumed office in January 2023 after serving as Ada County Clerk, has maintained that Idaho makes voting accessible. However, organizations working with young voters report experiencing significant obstacles in their voter registration efforts.
Sharp decline in youth registration
The impact on young voter participation appears substantial. Between 2018 and 2022, Idaho experienced a 66% increase in registered voters aged 18-19. After the 2023 voting laws took effect, the state saw a 23% decline in that same demographic.
According to the Civics Center, only 10% of Idaho's 18-year-olds were registered to vote as of September, compared with 79% of Idahoans 45 and older. The organization's recent data shows Idaho, along with Texas and Rhode Island, experienced declines in 18-year-old voter registration rates in 2026, with Idaho seeing a 2-percentage-point drop from 2022 levels. Idaho now ranks last in the nation in the percentage of 18-year-old registered voters compared to registered voters aged 45 and older.
Olivia Luna, president of Babe Vote, and board member Sam Sandmire appeared on Idaho Matters to discuss the challenges their organization has encountered while working to engage young Idahoans in the electoral process.
Limited student ID usage before elimination
State data reveals that student IDs were rarely used for voter identification before their elimination. In November 2022, only 104 voters out of approximately 379,000 who voted in counties with electronic poll books used student IDs as identification, representing less than 1% of voters. About 99% used driver's licenses.
Despite the low usage rate, supporters of the legislative changes argued they were necessary to protect election integrity. However, a spokesperson for the Idaho Secretary of State confirmed there have been no recent instances of voter fraud using student IDs in Idaho.
Current identification requirements
Under the 2023 laws, acceptable forms of identification for voting in Idaho now include:
- An Idaho driver's license or ID card issued by the Idaho Transportation Department
- A U.S. passport or government-issued photo ID
- A tribal photo ID card
- A concealed carry weapons license
The elimination of student IDs as valid voter identification prompted legal challenges. Babe Vote and the League of Women Voters of Idaho filed suit against House Bills 124 and 340, as did March for Our Lives Idaho. Both state and federal courts upheld the laws as constitutional, with an Ada County judge ruling in October 2023 that the legislation did not violate state constitutional protections, and a federal district court judge dismissing challenges to the voter registration and identification requirements.
As Election Day approaches on November 5, the tension between election security measures and voter access continues to generate discussion, particularly regarding the participation of Idaho's youngest eligible voters in the democratic process.
