by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports
The results from Idaho’s spring primary are official. The Idaho Board of Canvassers — made up of the Secretary of State, State Controller and State Treasurer — met Wednesday in Idaho Falls to certify the results of the May 21st primary election and review post-election audit findings.
No major findings in 2024 post-election audit
Several four-person auditor teams from the Secretary of State’s Office spent the week ahead of the state canvass conducting precinct-level audits of specific races in several counties. Idaho Reports observed part of the Valley County audit on Monday at the courthouse in Cascade.
“The reason that it was done is there was concerns amongst the public about election integrity,” said Valley County Clerk Douglas Miller. “It’s something that I believe all the counties have definitely embraced. And we welcome it, right? We want to make sure that the voters do have confidence in the process of elections, no matter if it’s a city election, primary election, or a general election.”
Secretary of State Phil McGrane told Idaho Reports at the state capitol Tuesday that with a few post-election audits in the rearview mirror, his staff have noticed better organization and record-keeping in counties that have been through an audit before compared to counties being audited for the first time.
“It’s a mix of a bunch of different minor things. Like one that they’re mentioning or that they mentioned in there was a voter putting [their ballot] in the wrong ballot box and then it being packaged away with the other precinct,” Megan Hill, elections education coordinator with McGrane’s office, told Idaho Reports Monday in Cascade. “Overall, it’s been very minor. We haven’t had anything major.”
McGrane told the Idaho Capital Sun that his office plans to visit Valley County again ahead of the November general election for ballot storage, organization and record-keeping improvements.
With Election Day results now certified, at least one recount request is expected in Legislative District 30 where incumbent Rep. Julianne Young, R-Blackfoot, lost her race for House Seat B by just two votes.
Logan Finney | Producer
Logan Finney is a North Idaho native with a passion for media production and boring government meetings. He grew up skiing, hunting and hiking in the mountains of Bonner County and has maintained a lifelong interest in the state’s geography, history and politics. Logan joined the Idaho Reports team in 2020 as a legislative session intern and stayed to cover the COVID-19 pandemic. He was hired as an associate producer in 2021 and they haven’t been able to get rid of him since.