Sanity prevailed in the Idaho House of Representatives today as a bill passed a floor vote to eliminate drop boxes in Idaho elections.
House Bill 693, proposed by Rep. Priscilla Giddings (R-Dist.7), who’s also a candidate for Lt. Governor, added a simple sentence to section 34-1005 of the Idaho Code, saying, “The use of drop-off boxes or similar drop-off locations to collect absentee ballots is prohibited.”
It has been shown that the use of drop boxes for ballot collection opens wide the door for fraud. After the 2020 national election, multiple videos of voter fraud emerged from around the country showing people stuffing drop boxes with illegally collected ballots. People who drop off harvested and illegally collected ballots are called “mules,” and they get paid for each ballot deposited. One mule was recorded making 53 trips to 20 different drop boxes.
House Bill 693 now heads to Senate’s State Affairs Committee chair Senator Patti Anne Lodge. Lodge must decide if she will let her committee consider the legislation.
Even with clear evidence of voter fraud through the use of drop boxes, the vote was close in the House (38-32). All 12 House Democrats and 20 House Republicans voted to keep drop boxes.
Republicans who voted with the Democrats to keep drop boxes are:
- Megan Blanksma of Hammett
- Matthew Bundy of Mountain Home
- Greg Chaney of Caldwell
- Lance Clow of Twin Falls
- Marco Erickson of Idaho Falls
- Rod Furniss of Rigby
- Codi Galloway of Boise
- Marc Gibbs of Grace
- Linda Hartgen of Twin Falls
- Wendy Horman of Idaho Falls
- Clark Kauffman of Filer
- Ryan Kerby of New Plymouth
- Laurie Lickley of Jerome
- Dustin Manwaring of Pocatello
- Gary Marshall of Idaho Falls
- Lori McCann of Lewiston
- Scott Syme of Caldwell
- Caroline Nilsson Troy of Genesee
- Jon Weber of Rexburg
- Fred Wood of Burley
Members of the Senate State Affairs committee are Senators Patti Anne Lodge, Jim Guthrie, Chuck Winder, Kelly Anthon, Mark Harris, Abby Lee, Michelle Stennett, Lee Heider, and Grant Burgoyne.
House of Representatives voting on House Bill 693 – Names that appear in green voted to eliminate voter drop boxes. Names that appear in red voted to keep them:
True Idaho News depends on the support of its readers. Consider supporting the work at True Idaho News!
