Idaho election officials worry about mail-in ballot changes proposed by Trump administration | News From The States
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newsfromthestates.com · September 8, 2026
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Powered by [](https://www.cookieyes.com/product/cookie-consent/?ref=cypbcyb&utm_source=cookie-banner&utm_medium=sl-branding) [ Skip to main content ](#main-content) [   Part of States Newsroom ](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/) search Sort by Latest Relevant Search Search  Stories From The States Colorado ranchers join fight against fossil fuel companies 28:57 https://play.prx.org/e?ge=prx\_14251\_3c1657e2-db5d-478b-98db-eb90ca023a81&uf=https%3A%2F%2Fpublicfeeds.net%2Ff%2F14251%2Fstoriesfromthestates.xml [   Part of States Newsroom ](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/) News ###### Idaho election officials worry about mail-in ballot changes proposed by Trump administration ## Share [Bluesky](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#bluesky)[X](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#x)[Facebook](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#facebook)[Email](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#email)[Copy Link](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#copy_link)  [Idaho](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/state/idaho) [News](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/news) # Idaho election officials worry about mail-in ballot changes proposed by Trump administration [Gov & Politics](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/category/gov-politics) Sep 08, 2026 | 6:15 am ET By [Kyle Pfannenstiel](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/author/kyle-pfannenstiel) Share [Bluesky](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#bluesky)[X](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#x)[Facebook](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#facebook)[Email](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#email)[Copy Link](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#copy_link)  Description A voter deposits a mail-in ballot at the drop box outside the Chester County Government Center in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Peter Hall/Pennsylvania Capital-Star) Across the country, state election officials are waiting to discover if federal courts will allow the Trump administration’s restrictions on mail-in voting to take effect. In Idaho, [like many other states](https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/09/02/repub/why-the-rushed-postal-service-plan-for-mail-in-voting-has-states-in-a-panic/), election officials are nervous the changes might come too close to the 2026 midterm elections, which are less than two months away on Nov. 3. [> Why the rushed Postal Service plan for mail-in voting has states in a panic ](https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/09/02/repub/why-the-rushed-postal-service-plan-for-mail-in-voting-has-states-in-a-panic/) The [changes](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/usps-whistleblower-predicts-catastrophic-effect-elections-under-trump-vote-mail-order) — proposed in a new U.S. Postal Service rule that implements an executive order by President Donald Trump — would require federal review of the design of absentee ballots and impose new rules on the design of envelopes containing absentee ballots, among other things. “In the moment, the biggest concern … is just we’re so close to the election,” Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane, the state’s top election official and an elected Republican, said in an interview last week. “There’s the practical implications of getting absentee ballots out.” McGrane said he isn’t sure that Idaho or other states would be able to fully comply with the USPS rule if it takes effect before this year’s election. He said county clerks across Idaho, who run the state’s elections, are busy finalizing ballots to print and mail out absentee ballots to military and overseas voters by Sept. 19. In Idaho’s largest county, Ada — which is home to Boise — election officials have told the state they need to know about any changes to ballots by Wednesday in order to make changes before they print the ballots, said Trent Tripple, the Republican elected county clerk for Ada County. He said he also worries about making big changes months before the election. “If you want the most secure election possible, do not put artificial timelines and make us change things at the last second,” he said in an interview. “If you’re doing that, I guarantee you there will be mistakes that are made — because we don’t have the time. We can’t back up an election.” And that’s all on top of other potential ballot changes facing Idaho election officials as the Idaho Supreme Court weighs a lawsuit by the organizers of Proposition 1, an abortion legalization ballot initiative, that [challenges state officials’ descriptions of the initiative](https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/09/02/idaho-supreme-court-to-weigh-if-ballot-language-on-abortion-rights-initiative-could-mislead-voters/).  Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane discusses his presidential caucus experiences outside of his caucus site at Whittier Elementary in Boise on March 2, 2024. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun) [ ](https://idahocapitalsun.com/subscribe) ** ** ## Absentee ballot restrictions are the latest attempt at federal intervention in elections The Trump administration’s policies seek to regulate absentee voting, a type of voting that allows voters to vote early or by mail. About 15% of Idaho voters use absentee voting primarily, ranging from seniors to people who use it for its ease of access, McGrane said. In Idaho’s primary election in May, more than 46,000 voters cast absentee ballots, according to the [state’s tally](https://voteidaho.gov/data-and-dashboards/absentee-tracker/). That was mostly Republicans, which made up nearly 32,000 of absentee voters, the [state’s data](https://voteidaho.gov/data-and-dashboards/absentee-tracker/) [shows.](http://shows.in) In the last