2026 Midterms State GuideIdaho
Hold on to your spuds and keep your Napoleon Dynamite quotes to yourself.
- PrimaryStatewideMay 19This date has passed.
- Election DayGeneralNov. 3
Updated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you, the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your spuds and keep your Napoleon Dynamite quotes to yourself, and let’s get into it.
Idaho at a glance
Idaho votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for governor, U.S. Senate, both U.S. House seats and four statewide ballot measures.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 23: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).
- Early voting
- Oct. 13: In-person early voting begins.
- Governor
- 6 candidates
- U.S. Senate
- 4 candidates
- U.S. House
- 2 seats
- Statewide ballot measures
- 4
Your to-do list
0 of 3 doneImportant dates
- Sept. 18Absentee ballots must be available and distributed to military and overseas voters. This date has passed.
- Oct. 13In-person early voting begins.
- Oct. 23Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).
- Nov. 3Election Day.
- Nov. 3Absentee ballot return deadline (8 p.m.). Ballots must be received (not just postmarked) by 8 p.m.
What’s at stake
Idaho’s Senate race has drawn some attention because three-term Republican Sen. Jim Risch is being challenged not by a Democrat, but by independent Todd Achilles, a former state legislator, after the Democratic nominee dropped out mid-summer to clear the field for a single strong challenger. Some believe this race will test whether an Independent can hold their weight, even in a deep-red state. Republicans haven't lost a Senate race here since 1974. Idahoans will also decide on several contentious ballot measures this year regarding abortion (supported by 59-61% of voters) and legalizing substances. In a 2026 Boise State University poll, Idahoans generally believed the state was headed in the right direction, though they saw the state’s economic situation as declining. 39% of Idahoans named housing as their top budget priority for the third consecutive year, followed by K-12 education (26%) and tax relief (15%). One in five Idahoans say they find it difficult to get by financially, and 37% would say healthcare is hard to access.
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
Idaho is choosing a governor
See whose priorities line up with yours
Here are the top priorities each candidate lists, in their own words. Pick the 3 that matter most to you. Names stay hidden until you see your results.
0 of 3 picked
Brad LittleRepublicanincumbent seeking his third four-year term
Top priorities- Simplifying or cutting government regulations to ease the burden on small businesses and Idaho citizens.
- Supporting education and parents through teacher pay raises, increased literacy program funding, and investments in school facilities.
- Providing tax relief for businesses and citizens while maintaining a balanced budget.
- Top priorities
Terri PickensDemocrat- Fostering economic growth by focusing on small businesses and creating business programs.
- Providing equal access to quality education for all Idahoans by repealing the school voucher program and increasing funding.
- Protecting public lands from privatization and keeping Idaho's 32 million public acres in public hands.
- Top priorities
Paul SandLibertarian- Shifting power from the state to county governments, inverting the political structure so counties become the top layer and the state government does almost nothing.
- Eliminating Idaho's state income tax and sales tax.
- Opposing privatization of public lands.
John StegnerUnaffiliatedformer Idaho Supreme Court justice
Top priorities- Providing affordable and accessible healthcare by investing in women's healthcare and protecting Medicaid expansion.
- Ensuring all Idaho children have access to quality public education and repealing the school voucher program.
- Protecting public lands from privatization and keeping Idaho's 32 million public acres in public hands.
Pro-LifeConstitution Party(born Marvin Richardson; legally changed his name to Pro-Life in 2006)
Top priorities- Ending abortion by treating it as murder under the law, with legal personhood beginning at fertilization.
- Reducing the role of government in education, health, and welfare, returning those responsibilities to faith-based organizations.
- Opposing LGBTQ policies, including banning transgender procedures and rejecting same-sex marriage recognition in Idaho.
- Jacob BurnettIndependent
write-in
- Get to know ’em
Matt LoesbyLibertarian - Get to know ’em
Natalie FlemingIndependent
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
- Shadrach’s big picture
Idahoans will elect two candidates to represent them in the House. Republicans are expected to hold both seats.
- Open seats
None
- Competitive districts
Cook doesn’t rank either Idaho district as competitive (both are solid Republican). Candidates in both parties filed to run in both districts, so no district is guaranteed to either party, but a Democrat hasn’t won a congressional seat in Idaho since 2008.
Statewide ballot measures
4 to read before you go. Tap one to open it.
This measure would create a right to reproductive freedom and privacy (including abortion up to fetal viability), declaring that the government can regulate abortion after the point of fetal viability (except in medical emergencies) but the government can’t interfere with the following: childbirth care; contraception; fertility treatment; miscarriage care; and prenatal, pregnancy, and postpartum care. The measure defines fetal viability as the point when a fetus has "a significant likelihood of sustained survival outside of the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures" based on the good-faith judgment of the doctor in that specific case. Currently, abortion is illegal at any point in pregnancy in Idaho except for narrow special circumstances.
Voting yessupports creating a right to reproductive freedom and privacy in state law, allowing abortion up to fetal viability and barring the government from interfering with childbirth, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage, and pregnancy careVoting noopposes this statute, keeping Idaho's current law, under which abortion is illegal at any point in pregnancy except in narrow special circumstancesThis measure is proposing to give the Idaho State Legislature the sole authority to legalize or decriminalize marijuana, narcotics, and other psychoactive substances and takes away Idaho citizens’ abilities to initiate state statutes (ie, ballot initiatives) that might legalize these things. In other words, the power to legalize or decriminalize these substances would rest only with the state government.
Voting yessupports giving the Idaho State Legislature the sole power to legalize or decriminalize marijuana, narcotics, and other psychoactive substances, so citizens could no longer do it through a ballot initiativeVoting noopposes this constitutional amendment, retaining the ability for citizens to initiate state statutes that could legalize or decriminalize marijuana, narcotics, and other psychoactive substances.An amendment to add explicit language to the state constitution designating English as the official language of Idaho. English is already the official language, but this would cement that in the constitution.
Voting yessupports adding language to the state constitution naming English as Idaho's official language, cementing what is already the caseVoting noopposes this amendment, leaving English as Idaho's official language without writing it into the constitutionVoters will be presented with a list of guns to vote on which they think should be the official state gun of Idaho. Note: this vote is purely advisory, meaning it carries no legal weight and requires no government action. It’s simply a recommendation that officials will take under consideration.
Voting yesThere is no yes or no on this one: voters pick, from a list of guns, the one they think should be Idaho's official state gun.Voting noWhichever gun wins, nothing changes in law. The result is a recommendation officials will take under consideration.
Also on the ballot
Other races Idaho voters will decide.
- Lieutenant Governor
- Attorney General
- Secretary of State
- Controller
- Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Treasurer
- State Senate
- State House
- State Supreme Court
- Intermediate appellate courts
- School boards
- Municipal government
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
Know someone voting in Idaho?
Send them the guide. It takes one tap, and it saves them an evening of arguing in a group chat.
A prayer for Idaho
O Lord, draw near to Idaho. Make yourself known by your Spirit to each and every voter this season. May voters not be overwhelmed by their ballots’ length or complexity. Give them wisdom to weigh each measure carefully, discernment in their choice, and the grace to trust You with the outcomes. In all things, may they, whether intentionally or by common grace, further Your glory and the good of their neighbor.
For every candidate running, work your good purposes through their actions. May they campaign with integrity and kindness toward their fellow candidates and constituents. Equip the leaders that win to serve with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. Comfort the ones who lose and help them do so with grace.
Grant your Spirit of peace which surpasses all understanding to guard the hearts and minds of anyone who feels anxious, angry, or frustrated this election season. Keep us from putting our security in elected leaders, and remind us of the hope we have in our eternal citizenship in heaven.
Amen.