Idaho’s deadline to request an absentee ballot was extended until May 26.
Judge B. Lynn Winmill, U.S. Courts, District of Idaho ruled in favor that the deadline must be extended following complaints that people did not have adequate means or time to request the ballot.
Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney sent a letter to the state’s 44 County Clerks informing them of the change Friday.
“While we regret the additional expense and tremendous logistical strain this will place on the clerks, staff, and counties of Idaho, this is nonetheless a court-issued decision with which we will comply. I know that this is a holiday weekend, that in many cases you have given your staff time to be with their families, and that making this happen will be very difficult,” Denney wrote in letter.
There were five points Denney asked of the clerks:
- As you have been doing, please continue to provide accessibility accommodations, including assistance in requesting a ballot, to disabled voters as requested;
- If you received a paper ballot request following the deadline of May 19 at 8 p.m. from a registered Idaho voter and bearing the signature of that voter, accept that request and issue a ballot to that voter;
- If prior to May 26, 2020 at 8 p.m. in your local time zone, you receive a new, complete paper ballot request from a registered Idaho voter and bearing the signature of that voter, issue a ballot to that voter;
- If you receive a request through the Idaho online absentee ballot request application prior to May 26 at 8 p.m , issue a ballot to that voter; and
- If a request is received from a voter that was not registered prior to 8 p.m. on May 19, 2020, do not issue a ballot.
After the ruling, Nicholas Jones sent a statement to CBS2 regarding the decision:
“I am grateful to Judge Winmill for recognizing the unjust disenfranchisement of Idahoans who trusted the state’s offer of the opportunity to request their absentee ballot online until 8 PM on May 19. His ruling upholds the sanctity of one of our most treasured rights: the right to vote,” Jones said.
CBS 2 News reports, Jones is a Republican Candidate Campaigning For Congress against Congressman Russ Fulcher’s in the next election. He had more to say about the decision.
“And while I am proud to have fought this case on behalf of all Idahoans, I am disappointed in my opponent, Congressman Russ Fulcher,” Jones continued. “Even though he has all the resources in the world, and even though his own supporters had complained to him on his Facebook wall that they had trouble getting their ballot request done, he hid from this injustice.”
