Reps. Sims (left) and Henderson (right)
A bill authored by Coeur d’Alene Representative Kathleen Sims was introduced today in the Idaho legislature on a motion by Post Falls Representative Frank Henderson. The bill, H0381, “Amends and adds to existing law to revise qualifications of electors; to provide a written warning on the application for an absentee elector’s ballot form; and to revise procedures for counting absentee ballots.” It clarifies and emphasizes the need for residency requirements of Idaho’s electors and to ensure the validity of absentee ballots and their count.
This bill begins to correct several major Idaho election administration law deficiencies which were identified because of the Coeur d’Alene City election contest lawsuit of 2009.
Good. Progress at last.
Comment by justinian — January 18, 2012 @ 5:21 pm
Justinian,
Yes, it is.
Now I wish the House State Affairs Committee would come to Coeur d’Alene and take testimony here on this bill. It is a start, but my guess is that the Secretary of State, the Idaho Association of Counties, and Association of Idaho Cities will use their influence to do everything they can to keep the status quo corruptus intact. They will certainly have help from the Kootenai County Prosecutor and the City of Coeur d’Alene. It’s so much more convenient when laws allow elections to be conveniently rather than honestly administered.
Representatives Sims and Henderson deserve a huge thank-you from the people of our region for getting the legislative ball rolling, but had it not been for the courage and tenacity of Jim and Christine Brannon and Coeur d’Alene attorney Starr Kelso, the incomprehensible incompetence in Kootenai County’s elections administration would not have come to light for years, if ever.
Comment by Bill — January 18, 2012 @ 6:33 pm