I want to bring your attention to a recent victory we have had in the Attorney General’s office.
This case concerns House Bills 124 and 340, laws enacted by the Legislature during the 2023 session to impose certain criteria for voting. Specifically, these laws do not recognize student IDs as valid voter identification. To fortify our elections, the Legislature deemed it necessary to restrict this type of identification because Student IDs rarely have a date of birth, address, or proof of citizenship.
The advocacy groups Babe Vote and League of Women Voters quickly challenged HB 124 and 340, claiming the bills were a form of age discrimination. The Legislature, recognizing that some voters might not be able to afford a voter ID, would provide an ID at no cost to the voter. Despite this provision, Babe Vote and the League of Women Voters insultingly contend that specific individuals cannot access a free ID.
On Monday, October 2nd, the Fourth District Court of the State of Idaho dismissed the suit with prejudice. Judge Hoagland rejected the claims of age discrimination by the advocacy groups, noting that not all young people are students and not all students are young people. He added that the new laws passed by the Legislature are rationally related to their stated purpose to create uniformity by accepting only reliable forms of identification.
Judge Hoagland also defended the rights of the Idaho Legislature to establish voting qualifications, remarking: “The Idaho Constitution guarantees the right of free and lawful suffrage to the people, and delegates to the legislature the authority to prescribe qualifications, limitations, and conditions necessary for the exercise of the right.”
Next Steps:
It is anticipated that the advocacy groups will file an appeal with the Idaho Supreme Court. In addition, other interest groups have challenged Idaho’s election integrity laws in federal court. For instance, the gun safety group March for Our Lives Idaho, recently filed a suit alleging that our laws violate the 26th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. I believe these lawsuits are meritless and will share the same fate as the recently dismissed state lawsuit.
We are committed to ensuring that every eligible voter exercises their right to vote in our great state. In the most recent election, we achieved the highest voter turnout for a non-presidential election year since the Secretary of State began recording in 1980. However, it’s essential to emphasize that we will never compromise the integrity of our elections in the pursuit of higher turnout.
I take great pride in the efforts of my team to secure this victory. Our state remains a target for special interest groups who aim to challenge our conservative agenda. I implore you to stand firm in this battle and continue to support our office.
I thank you for standing with me, and together, we will continue our fight to preserve Idaho’s right to self-governance.
