H 736 Idaho House · 68th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session (2026)

ELECTIONS – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the form and contents of ballots to be prepared by the Secretary of State.

This bill revises Idaho's election laws to standardize ballot formats and content. It requires the Secretary of State to prescribe uniform ballot forms for all elections, including specific rules for listing candidates and issues statewide versus locally. Key provisions mandate rotating candidate name order based on voter counts (25,000+ voters for some offices, 100,000+ for others) and using alphabetical randomization for other elections. The bill directly affects election officials who prepare ballots and ensures consistent voter experience across the state. It takes effect July 1, 2026.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Feb 19, 2026 Signed Mar 30, 2026
Floor votes · Senate Mar 24, 2026 · House Mar 5, 2026

How they voted

350
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 36
Mar 24, 2026
D Democratic6
6 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican30
29 Yea 1
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
20
Key actions
7
Committee
3
Mar 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by President; returned to House
upper
Mar 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Received from the House enrolled/signed by Speaker
upper
Mar 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to Senate
lower
Mar 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third time in full – PASSED - 34-0-1AYES – Adams, Anthon, Bernt, Blaylock, Burtenshaw, Carlson, Cook, Den Hartog, Foreman, Galloway, Grow, Guthrie, Harris, Hart, Keyser, Kohl, Lakey, Lenney, Lent, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Rabe, Ricks, Ruchti, Semmelroth, Shippy, Taylor, Toews, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Wintrow, Woodward, Zito, ZuiderveldNAYS – NoneAbsent and excused – Bjerke(Bjerke)Floor Sponsor - RuchtiTitle apvd - to House
upper
Mar 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second reading
upper
Mar 6, 2026
Introduced
Introduced, read first time; referred to: State Affairs
upper
Mar 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read Third Time in Full – PASSED - 68-1-1AYES – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Berch, Bingham, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cayler, Cheatum, Church, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Egbert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson, Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Hall(Stone), Handy, Harris, Hawkins, Haws, Healey, Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Manwaring, Marmon, Mathias, McCann, Mendive, Mickelsen(Athay), Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Nelsen, Palmer, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Price, Rasor,
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading
lower
Feb 20, 2026
Committee
Reported Printed and Referred to State Affairs
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Introduced
Introduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.