MCGRANE: And Just Like That, Election Season Is Here

By Secretary of State Phil McGrane

Highlights from the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office
September 18, 2026

Aaaaaaaaaand we’re off!

Election Day may still be weeks away, but for thousands of Idaho voters, the election starts when an absentee ballot arrives in the mailbox.

This week, the first 67,000 absentee ballots are on their way to Idaho voters for the November 3 General Election.

For voters, that means it’s time to keep an eye on your mailbox. For our county election officials, it marks the beginning of one of the busiest stretches of the election.

Between now and Election Day, they’ll process absentee requests and returned ballots, register voters, prepare for early voting, train poll workers, ready polling places and manage all the details that go into conducting an election.

Any registered Idaho voter can request an absentee ballot at VoteIdaho.gov. You can also track your ballot status there; when the county sends it, and when your county elections office receives your voted ballot back. Which, I must admit, I think is pretty neat.

Once it arrives, you have the opportunity to sit down at home, research the candidates and issues, make your selections and return it to your county elections office.

And that’s when another important part of the absentee process begins.

Your voted ballot is placed in a secrecy sleeve inside a signed outer envelope. When it arrives back at the county, election officials verify that signature against the one in your voter registration record before the ballot moves forward in the process.

Having spent years working in elections, I’ve seen this process firsthand. Clerks receive annual handwriting verification training and learn to look for consistent characteristics while accounting for normal variations. You’d be amazed at how consistent our signatures really are.

Of course, signatures can change. Age can affect handwriting, and sometimes a signature simply isn’t clear enough to make a determination. When that happens, the elections office reaches out to the voter to resolve the issue.

There are rare instances when something really doesn’t look right.

We’ve seen spouses accidentally sign each other’s envelopes or parents sign for students away at college. Sometimes there’s a simple explanation, but the law is clear: it is illegal to vote or sign someone else’s ballot. Suspected cases of voter fraud are taken seriously and, when appropriate, referred to law enforcement.

So, when your absentee ballot arrives: vote it, make sure you sign the envelope, return it with plenty of time (ballots are due at 8 pm on Election Day), and check VoteIdaho.gov to make sure your county received it.

For those of us who work in elections, seeing those first ballots go out is an exciting milestone. It represents months of preparation by dedicated election officials across our state and the beginning of another election in Idaho.

Now, keep an eye on that mailbox.

Phil McGrane

About Phil McGrane

Phil McGrane was elected Idaho’s twenty-eighth Secretary of State and took office on January 2, 2023. McGrane served as elected Clerk of Ada County from 2019-2022. McGrane holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy, a juris doctorate, and a Master of Public Administration. As a fourth-generation Idahoan, Phil has dedicated his career to making elections in the state of Idaho accessible, secure and transparent.

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