From: Anya Zuercher & Olivia Lune
Last week, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane called Idaho’s General Election “an accomplishment that should be celebrated.” As students who witnessed voter suppression firsthand, we are not celebrating.
Secretary McGrane said he is devoted to making elections “accessible, secure, and transparent.” While Idaho has never had an election that was not secure, the November general election was far from accessible to students and new residents.
Take Election Day at the University of Idaho, for example. Despite a robust effort by student leaders to educate their peers about new voter registration laws, help students register and vote early, and ensure the Student Recreation Center polling location was accessible, volunteer work could not overcome bad policy.
Hundreds of students waited in line for over 5 hours, some just to be told they didn’t have the correct documentation to vote. Students lined the walls, filling out voter registration forms due to a lack of table space. The polling location ran out of registration forms 3 times, compounding wait times and frustration. Some students were still in line at 10:30 pm; others gave up and went home.
Meanwhile, at BYU-Idaho’s polling place, hundreds of students waited in line, then were turned away due to new Idaho laws that specifically target students.
Students were blamed for not registering early online. However, new laws have made online registration difficult or impossible for many students. Most students’ driver’s licenses list their parents’ address, not their current college address, disqualifying them from completing their voter registration online.
The increase in student voter turnout was entirely predictable given Idaho’s population growth and get-out-the-vote efforts from groups like Associated Students, student clubs, and BABE VOTE. This should have been planned for.
No, Secretary McGrane, the trend of voter suppression laws coupled with a lack of accountability in red states is not something to celebrate. When the Idaho Statesman pointed out that legitimate Idaho voters were the first victims of new Idaho election laws, you criticized their editorial board for “discouraging Idahoans with their opinion.”
In 2023, Idaho’s Legislature passed, with Secretary McGrane’s support, HB124, and HB340, laws that removed student IDs as acceptable identification for registering and voting and imposed additional barriers to registering and voting. Students and community members warned elected officials of the harm these bills cause to eligible Idaho residents. They passed them anyway.
Young Idahoans already face challenges in housing, childcare, healthcare, employment and education cost—issues that should be addressed by our elected leaders. In this environment, our right to vote is crucial.
We’re often told that young people don’t care about politics and that we are apathetic voters. If this election proved anything, it’s that students care deeply about their government and who represents them. We want our voices heard, but we’re met with a broken system designed to ignore us.
We understand that good policy is difficult to craft and that running a statewide election is challenging and complex. However, it is the duty of elected officials to evaluate the impact of their laws and be willing to go back to the drawing board when they fail the people they represent.
While it’s difficult to quantify the full scope of voter suppression, the fact remains that real individuals—legally eligible voters—were denied their constitutional right to vote.
So, let’s be clear:
To Idahoans dealing with disenfranchisement, if you waited for hours or were turned away, know this: it’s not normal, it’s not acceptable, and we hope it doesn’t discourage you from exercising your civic duty in the future. Visit BABEVOTE.org to learn more, get involved, or offer support.
To Secretary McGrane and Idaho Legislators: it’s time to give the people who are directly affected by voting laws a seat at the table. And when we testify on proposed legislation, it’s past time you listen.
Olivia Luna, BABE VOTE Board Member & Campus Captain-Boise State University
Anya Zuercher, ASUI Senator & BABE VOTE Campus Captain-University of Idaho