A “Vote Here” sign outside O’Connor Field House in Caldwell, Idaho, on November 8, 2022. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)
As part of a new law that took effect July 1, the Idaho Transportation Department is offering free state identification cards for Idaho adults who do not have a driver’s license to use for voting.
The no-fee IDs were part of House Bill 340 , a new voter registration law that Secretary of State Phil McGrane sponsored during the 2023 legislative session.
The identification cards are available free to individuals who are 18 or older who have not had a driver’s license for at least six months and who indicate on their application that they need the ID for voting requirements, Idaho Department of Transportation spokeswoman Ellen Mattila said.
Individuals will need to prove they are a U.S. citizen or have U.S. citizenship documents scanned on file with the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain the free ID card, Mattila said.
The IDs are valid for four years, and applicants who obtain a free ID are entitled to one free replacement card and free renewals for as long as they meet the eligibility criteria.
The free IDs are not valid for driving.
If someone who has a free ID subsequently obtains a driver’s license, that will end the free renewals and eligibility for one free replacement card, but people will not need to surrender their ID card when they obtain a driver’s license, Mattila said.
The new no-fee IDs were included in House Bill 340 after an earlier bill, House Bill 124 , removed student IDs as an accepted form of identification for voting.
Idahoans may visit their county Department of Motor Vehicles or schedule an appointment at the DMV (depending on which county they live in) to obtain the new no-fee ID cards.
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