WASHINGTON (AP) — When voters in Idaho head to the polls Tuesday to decide primaries for the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislature, one high-profile issue will be missing from their ballots. It's a race for the White House. That's because the state Legislature canceled its presidential primary last year, and the Idaho Democratic Party will instead hold its presidential caucus on May 23.
President Joe Biden faces only nominal opposition in his party's caucuses, with less than three weeks left in the presidential primary. He privately clinched his nomination in March and has spent the following months focused on the prospective Republican nominee, a general election rematch with his predecessor. President Donald Trump.
The May 23 caucuses will be held in contrast to the old Iowa-style caucuses, where caucus participants indicate their candidate preferences by moving around the venue and forming groups to print out ballots and set voting times. It functions like a party-driven primary election.
Idaho lawmakers originally planned to save money by merging the March 12 presidential primary with Tuesday's state and local primaries. But after passing a bill last year to cancel the presidential primary, lawmakers took no additional steps to postpone it to May, effectively canceling it entirely. The Idaho Republican Party held its caucuses on March 2, and Trump won easily.
In Tuesday's state primary, the race at the top of the ballot is the Republican primary for the 2nd Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Mike Simpson is seeking his 14th term. He faces two challengers in the Boise area who, like him, are closely tied to Trump and his policies. Scott Cleveland is a financial advisor and Ada County Republican Party official who won about 8% of the statewide vote in his solo candidacy against Republican Sen. Mike Crapo in 2022. Sean Higgins is an information technology expert and former teacher.
Water management has become a key regional issue in the district, and Simpson's 2021 proposal to remove four hydroelectric dams on the Lower Snake River to protect salmon populations is one of his top priorities. He is in conflict with Republican members of the department.
The ballot also includes 18 contested state Senate primaries and 38 contested state House primaries. All 35 state Senate seats and all 70 state House seats are up for election this year, but many of the primaries are uncontested.
Let's take a look at what to expect on primary and caucus night.
Primary and caucus day
Idaho's primary election will be held on Tuesday. Most polls end at 8pm ET. Some polls end at 8pm PT, which is 11pm ET.
The Idaho Democratic Presidential Caucus will be held from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM local time on May 23rd. Most caucuses end at 10pm ET, but the last caucus ends at 11pm ET.
Voting details
In Tuesday's state primary, The Associated Press will provide voting coverage for the Republican primary for the 2nd Congressional District, as well as a number of contested state Senate and state House primaries.
The Associated Press will also provide voting coverage for the May 23 Democratic presidential caucuses. The candidates on the ballot are Biden, Dean Phillips, Jason Palmer, Marianne Williamson and two others. There is no “non-commit” or write option.
who can vote
Only registered Republicans can participate in the Republican primary. Registered Democrats and unaffiliated or unaffiliated voters can participate in the Democratic primary. In Idaho, political parties can choose whether to allow independent voters or members of other parties to participate in primaries.
The Democratic Presidential Caucus is open to registered Democrats and independent voters only. Independent voters must sign a document confirming that they belong to a party and are not competing for another party's nomination this year. Caucus participants may register on the day of the caucus and belong to a contracting party.
Representative assignment rules
Idaho's 23 Democratic delegates are allocated according to standard national party rules. Five at-large delegates will be allocated in proportion to the statewide vote, and three PLEO delegates, or “party leaders and elected officials,” will also be allocated. A total of 15 delegates are at stake in her two congressional districts in the state, which will be allocated proportionately to each district's voting results. To qualify for a statewide delegate, a candidate must receive at least 15% of the statewide vote, and to qualify for a delegate in a congressional district, a candidate must receive at least 15% of the votes in that district. You need to get more than 15% of her.
decision memo
Biden has already secured the nomination and is the overwhelming favorite to enter the Democratic caucuses on May 23, as there is no major challenger. Initial indications that he is winning statewide at a level consistent with the overwhelming margins seen in most other contests held this year may be enough to determine a statewide winner. not.
As for Tuesday's primary, the most notable race is the 2nd Congressional District, which covers the eastern half of Idaho, bordering Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada. Two districts in the state have slightly less Republican support, with voters in the state giving President Trump only 60% of the vote in 2020, compared to 68% in the 1st Congressional District. Ta.
The primary voting jurisdictions for District 2 are Bonneville, Twin Falls, Bannock, and the Ada County area that includes Boise. Simpson won all four counties in the 2022 primary, but won in Twin Falls and Bannock counties with less than 50% of the vote in the five-way race. He won the Boise District in Ada County with 66% of the vote in the primary, but lost the district to the Democratic candidate in the general election.
The Associated Press does not make predictions and declares a winner only if it determines there is no scenario in which a successor candidate closes the gap. Even if a race is not called, The Associated Press will continue to report on newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. At that time, The Associated Press will clarify that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
There is no automatic recount in Idaho, but the state will pay for a recount if the difference in votes is less than 0.1% of the total number of votes cast. Even if the margin is large, the losing candidate can request and pay for a recount, and if the recount changes the result, the cost will be refunded. The Associated Press may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it determines the lead is too large to change the result through a recount or legal challenge.
What will turnout and advance voting look like?
As of May 1, there are 1,001,426 registered voters in Idaho. Of these, about 59% were Republicans and about 13% were Democrats.
Voter turnout in the 2022 primary was about 28% of registered voters in the Republican primary and 3% in the Democratic primary. By Election Day that year, approximately 29% of Democratic primary voters and 14% of Republican primary voters had cast their votes.
As of Thursday, a total of 44,279 votes had been cast the day before the primary, about 76% in the Republican primary and 20% in the Democratic primary.
Absentee voting will also be allowed for the Democratic presidential caucus on May 23. The deadline to apply for an absentee caucus ballot was Thursday. Absentee ballots must be submitted at the state party by 8pm local time on the day of the caucus.
How long does it usually take to count votes?
The Associated Press first reported results for the 2022 state primary at 11:09 p.m. ET. Election night counting ended at 4:51 a.m. ET, with approximately 97% of the total votes counted. Most polls in the state end at 10 p.m. ET, but state law requires that results not be announced until the last vote ends at 11 p.m. ET.
As for the May 23 presidential caucuses, there are no recent similar contests to help estimate the timing of vote counting. Results will not be announced until 11pm ET when the last round of voting ends, but votes from earlier time zones will begin counting an hour earlier. The Idaho Democratic Party expects complete results by around 1 a.m. ET.
Have you arrived yet?
As of Tuesday, there are 168 days until the November general election.
As of May 23, there are 88 days until the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and 166 days until the November general election.
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