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Idaho Attorney General election, 2018 (May 15 Democratic primary)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 12
- Early voting: Oct. 22 - Nov. 2
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: Photo ID required
- Poll times: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
2022 →
← 2014
|
| Idaho Attorney General |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 9, 2018 |
| Primary: May 15, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent(s): Lawrence Wasden (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Idaho |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2018 Impact of term limits in 2018 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| Idaho executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant governor |
A Democratic Party primary election took place on May 15, 2018 in Idaho to determine which candidate would run as the party's nominee in the state's November 6, 2018, attorney general election.
For more information about attorney general elections in 2018, click here.
| SETTING THE STAGE | |
Candidates and election results
Bruce Bistline advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Idaho on May 15, 2018.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Idaho
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Bruce Bistline | 100.0 | 47,637 | |
| Total votes: 47,637 | |||
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Context of the 2018 election
Past elections
2014
- See also: Idaho attorney general election, 2014
Bruce Bistline was unopposed in the 2014 Democratic primary election.[1]
Voter information
How the primary works
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Idaho, parties decide who may vote in their primaries. As of July 2025, the Democratic Party allows unaffiliated voters to vote in its primary, while the Republican Party only allows voters registered with its party to vote in its primary. Unaffiliated voters can choose to affiliate with a party on Election Day.[2][3][4]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
In Idaho, all polls are open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time. In some instances, polls may open at 7:00 a.m., at the discretion of the local clerk. Idaho is split between Mountain and Pacific time zones. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[5]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in Idaho, an individual must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the Idaho county in which they are registering for at least 30 days before the election, and at least 18 years old on or before Election Day.[6][7]
Registration in advance of election day may be completed online, in person at the county clerk's office, or by mail. The deadline to register to vote online is the 11th day before the election. A registration application submitted by mail must be received by the 5:00 p.m. on the 11th day before the election. Voters may also register in-person at an early voting location or on Election Day.[6][8][9][10]
Idaho requires a photo ID and proof of residence to register to vote in person. According to the secretary of state's website, a valid photo ID is one of:[8]
- Idaho Driver’s License
- Idaho Identification Card
- Passport or Federal ID
- Tribal ID Card
- Concealed Weapons License issued by a county sheriff in Idaho
A valid proof of residence is one of:[8]
- Above photo ID with the correct address
- Proof of insurance
- Mortgage, lease, or rental agreement
- Property tax assessment, bill
- Utility bill (no cell bills)
- Bank/credit card statement
- Paystub/paycheck
- Intake document to a care facility
- Enrollment letter from an Idaho high school or university
- Letter from a social service agency
A voter registering to vote by a mail application must provide their Idaho driver's license number or their social security number. If the voter is registering for the first time they must also include a copy of a photo ID and proof of residence. Eligible documents are listed above.[6]
Automatic registration
- See also: Automatic voter registration
Idaho does not practice automatic voter registration.
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Idaho has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Idaho allows same-day voter registration.
Residency requirements
Idaho law requires 30 days of residency in one of the state’s counties before a person may vote.
Verification of citizenship
Idaho does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[11] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The page Voter Information Look-Up, run by the Idaho Secretary of State's office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voter ID requirements
Early voting
Idaho permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting in Idaho varies by county, but may begin no earlier than the fourth Monday before Election Day.[12][10] To find dates and times in your county, check with your county elections office here.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Idaho. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee. To vote absentee, an application must be received by election officials no later than the 11th day preceding the election.[13][14][15]
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Idaho heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in Idaho.
- Republicans held two of the two U.S. House seats in Idaho.
State executives
- As of May 2018, Republicans held seven of 14 state executive positions; the other seven were nonpartisan offices.
- Heading into the 2018 election, the sitting governor of Idaho was Butch Otter (R).
State legislature
- Republicans controlled both chambers of the Idaho State Legislature. They had a 59-11 majority in the state House and a 29-6 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
Idaho was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party held the governorship, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House.
2018 elections
- See also: Idaho elections, 2018
Idaho held elections for the following offices in 2018:
- U.S. House
- Governor
- Six lower state executive offices
- State Senate
- State House
- State Supreme Court
- Intermediate appellate courts
- Local judges
- School boards
- Municipal elections
Demographics
| Demographic data for Idaho | ||
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,652,828 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 82,643 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 91.7% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 0.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.3% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.6% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 11.8% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.5% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 25.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $47,583 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 16.9% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Idaho. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
As of July 2017, Idaho had a population of approximately 1,716,943 people, and its three largest cities were Boise (pop. est. 223,154), Meridian (pop. est. 95,623), and Nampa (pop. est. 91,382).[16]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Idaho from 2000 to 2016.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Idaho every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), Idaho 2000-2016[17] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 |  Donald Trump |
59.26% |  Hillary Clinton |
27.49% | 31.77% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
64.53% | Barack Obama |
32.62% | 31.91% |
| 2008 | John McCain |
61.52% | Barack Obama |
36.09% | 25.43% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
68.38% | John Kerry |
30.26% | 38.12% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
67.17% | Al Gore |
27.64% | 39.53% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Idaho from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), Idaho 2000-2016[17] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Mike Crapo |
66.13% | Jerry Sturgill |
27.73% | 38.40% |
| 2014 | Jim Risch |
65.33% | Nels Mitchell |
34.67% | 30.66% |
| 2010 | Mike Crapo |
71.18% | Tom Sullivan |
24.93% | 46.25% |
| 2008 | Jim Risch |
57.65% | Larry LaRocco |
34.11% | 23.54% |
| 2004 | Mike Crapo |
99.18% | Scott McClure |
0.82% | 98.36% |
| 2002 | Larry Craig |
65.16% | Allan Blinken |
32.55% | 32.61% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2014
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2014. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Idaho.
| Election results (Governor), Idaho 2000-2016[18] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | C. L. 'Butch' Otter |
53.52% | A. J. Balukoff |
38.55% | 14.97% |
| 2010 | C. L. 'Butch' Otter |
59.11% | Keith Allred |
32.85% | 26.26% |
| 2006 | C. L. 'Butch' Otter |
52.67% | Jerry Brady |
44.11% | 8.56% |
| 2002 | C. Dirk Kempthorne |
56.28% | Jerry Brady |
41.73% | 14.55% |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Idaho Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Thirty one years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
No counties in Idaho are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Idaho with 59.3 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 27.5 percent. Independent candidate Evan McMullin received 6.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Idaho voted Republican 70 percent of the time and Democratic 30 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Idaho voted Republican all five times.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Idaho. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[19][20]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 4 out of 35 state House districts in Idaho with an average margin of victory of 13.5 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 4 out of 35 state House districts in Idaho with an average margin of victory of 17 points. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 31 out of 35 state House districts in Idaho with an average margin of victory of 38.6 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 31 out of 35 state House districts in Idaho with an average margin of victory of 39 points. Trump won three seats controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | |
| 1 | 33.87% | 62.34% | R+28.5 | 26.01% | 65.46% | R+39.5 | |
| 2 | 26.93% | 70.62% | R+43.7 | 20.64% | 71.95% | R+51.3 | |
| 3 | 29.14% | 68.14% | R+39 | 21.06% | 70.57% | R+49.5 | |
| 4 | 39.16% | 57.97% | R+18.8 | 32.30% | 58.13% | R+25.8 | |
| 5 | 45.88% | 49.34% | R+3.5 | 39.67% | 46.41% | R+6.7 | |
| 6 | 37.09% | 60.34% | R+23.3 | 27.14% | 63.35% | R+36.2 | |
| 7 | 30.10% | 66.90% | R+36.8 | 19.98% | 72.55% | R+52.6 | |
| 8 | 29.55% | 67.36% | R+37.8 | 21.50% | 69.20% | R+47.7 | |
| 9 | 25.68% | 71.70% | R+46 | 17.21% | 74.09% | R+56.9 | |
| 10 | 38.47% | 58.37% | R+19.9 | 29.81% | 58.12% | R+28.3 | |
| 11 | 23.55% | 73.82% | R+50.3 | 17.04% | 72.09% | R+55.1 | |
| 12 | 31.70% | 65.46% | R+33.8 | 24.33% | 62.75% | R+38.4 | |
| 13 | 30.45% | 66.85% | R+36.4 | 25.08% | 62.48% | R+37.4 | |
| 14 | 28.40% | 69.37% | R+41 | 25.20% | 62.69% | R+37.5 | |
| 15 | 40.27% | 56.38% | R+16.1 | 36.12% | 49.48% | R+13.4 | |
| 16 | 51.36% | 45.03% | D+6.3 | 47.20% | 39.26% | D+7.9 | |
| 17 | 54.87% | 40.25% | D+14.6 | 48.92% | 35.61% | D+13.3 | |
| 18 | 50.74% | 45.74% | D+5 | 49.32% | 37.45% | D+11.9 | |
| 19 | 62.17% | 34.02% | D+28.2 | 61.76% | 27.06% | D+34.7 | |
| 20 | 31.96% | 65.66% | R+33.7 | 27.79% | 57.58% | R+29.8 | |
| 21 | 33.56% | 63.72% | R+30.2 | 29.26% | 57.07% | R+27.8 | |
| 22 | 28.40% | 68.66% | R+40.3 | 21.33% | 65.07% | R+43.7 | |
| 23 | 27.41% | 69.63% | R+42.2 | 18.40% | 72.24% | R+53.8 | |
| 24 | 30.28% | 66.54% | R+36.3 | 24.58% | 61.74% | R+37.2 | |
| 25 | 23.52% | 73.82% | R+50.3 | 17.71% | 70.40% | R+52.7 | |
| 26 | 45.05% | 52.29% | R+7.2 | 42.82% | 47.54% | R+4.7 | |
| 27 | 16.19% | 81.96% | R+65.8 | 14.64% | 72.01% | R+57.4 | |
| 28 | 31.76% | 66.06% | R+34.3 | 25.38% | 57.30% | R+31.9 | |
| 29 | 43.30% | 53.10% | R+9.8 | 36.52% | 46.08% | R+9.6 | |
| 30 | 19.06% | 78.92% | R+59.9 | 17.63% | 62.15% | R+44.5 | |
| 31 | 21.71% | 76.35% | R+54.6 | 17.59% | 65.61% | R+48 | |
| 32 | 17.05% | 81.10% | R+64.1 | 17.13% | 65.98% | R+48.9 | |
| 33 | 30.56% | 66.37% | R+35.8 | 26.72% | 54.03% | R+27.3 | |
| 34 | 6.92% | 92.00% | R+85.1 | 8.01% | 59.90% | R+51.9 | |
| 35 | 12.96% | 85.32% | R+72.4 | 9.79% | 72.97% | R+63.2 | |
| Total | 32.62% | 64.53% | R+31.9 | 27.49% | 59.26% | R+31.8 | |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
|
Idaho government: |
Elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "May 20, 2014 Primary Election Results," accessed September 29, 2017
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State's Office, "Primary Elections in Idaho," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed July 2, 2024
- ↑ ACLU Idaho, "2024 Your Rights as an Idaho Voter," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ Idaho Statutes, "Section 34-1101," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Idaho Secretary of State, "Idaho Voter Registration Form," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "Citizenship & Voting," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Idaho Secretary of State - Vote Idaho, "Registering To Vote," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ Idaho Legislature, "Idaho Statutes § 34-408," accessed June 26, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Idaho Legislature, "2025 Legislation - House Bill 278," accessed June 26, 2025
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Idaho Legislature, "Idaho Statutes § 34-1012," accessed June 25, 2025
- ↑ Idaho State Legislature, "Idaho Statutes 34-1001," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ Idaho State Legislature, "Idaho Statutes 34-1002," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ Ada County Elections, "Absentee Voting," accessed July 2, 2025
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Nampa city, Idaho; Meridian city, Idaho; Boise City city, Idaho; Idaho," accessed January 8, 2018
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Federal Election Commission, "Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives," accessed January 5, 2018
- ↑ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, "Idaho Election Results," accessed January 5, 2018
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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