Idaho
Idaho Secretary of State removing 36 likely noncitizens as registered voters, says some voted • Idaho Capital Sun
Editor’s note: This is the second story of a two-part series focused on noncitizen voting in Idaho elections. The previous story, focused on a proposed constitutional amendment to ban noncitizen voting, published last week.
The Idaho Secretary of State Office is in the process of removing 36 “very likely” noncitizens from Idaho’s registered voter rolls.
Some of those noncitizens voted in past elections in Idaho, Secretary of State Phil McGrane told the Idaho Capital Sun, but he didn’t specify how many.
No noncitizens voted in Idaho’s statewide primary election this May, he said, and state election officials are working to ensure that no noncitizens vote in the upcoming November general election.
“There are a number of them that do have some form of voting history — whether it’s in local elections or some other election,” McGrane told the Sun. “And at this point, we’re handling each of those on a case-by-case basis” with law enforcement and county clerks.
Amid years of false claims about droves of noncitizens voting in federal elections, Idaho’s top election official sought to make clear that noncitizen voting in Idaho — an Idaho and federal crime — is rare, and that election officials are working to bolster election security systems to prevent noncitizen votes, under an executive order signed this summer.
“Out of the million plus registered voters we started with, we’re down to 10 thousandths of a percent in terms of this number. … This is very rare, it’s very limited,” McGrane told the Sun about noncitizen votes in Idaho.
The Idaho Secretary of State’s Office is now working through due process work to ensure that those people flagged were actually noncitizens, he said, like allowing people to prove citizenship.
The Idaho Secretary of State’s Office has talked with law enforcement offices, including the federal U.S. Attorney’s Office, about “any enforcement mechanisms that need to be put in place,” McGrane said.
How many noncitizens have voted in Idaho elections?
McGrane wouldn’t offer a direct number on how many of the 36 likely noncitizens, who are registered voters, had voted in past elections. He generally said some had — but not in this May’s statewide primary election, featuring state legislative, congressional and local races.
Since January 10, 2020, in Ada County, 78 registered voters were removed for not being a U.S. citizen, according to a report Ada County Clerk Trent Tripple shared with the Sun, which included data as recent as Oct. 4, 2024.
One case, in 2020, was the only instance of noncitizen voting in Ada County that Tripple knew of and the county’s records show, he told the Sun. That case involved a Canadian citizen — who Tripple declined to identify — and was referred to prosecutors. He said he didn’t know the case’s outcome.
“I would hope that citizens in Idaho know that — in my estimation — the will of the voter has been reflected in every single election that I know of, based off those that are legally eligible to vote,” Tripple told the Sun. “And so I push back on the notion that there’s people that are not allowed to vote that are affecting the outcomes of our elections.”
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How else do Idaho election officials clean the voter rolls?
Beyond just preventing noncitizens from voting, Tripple stressed that local Idaho election officials are always “extremely active” in cleaning the voter rolls for a range of reasons, including when people die or move.
Ada County. (Courtesy of Ada County)
The report Tripple shared, spanning almost five years, said more than 29,000 voters in general in Ada County were removed for maintenance, along with over 9,800 for being deceased, nearly 3,800 for being registered more than once, another 604 for having felonies, among other reasons.
“I think it’s a misnomer for people to think that there’s a goal out there for a perfect election, and that we’re going to achieve it at some point in the future,” Tripple told the Sun. “This is an imperfect process for us. We have rules in place if we find them, and we’re actively pursuing anybody that should not be allowed to vote on a regular basis and removing them from voter rolls.”
Every two years, Idaho election officials purge the registered voter rolls. Idaho law requires county clerks to cancel registrations for voters who didn’t vote in the past four years.
In 2023, over 74,000 Idaho registered voters were removed “due to inactivity, change of address, or who were otherwise determined to be ineligible to vote,” according to a previous Idaho Secretary of State’s Office news release.
“We have already been doing this, and our numbers,” McGrane told the Sun, referring to noncitizen votes, “the fact that we’re at such a teeny, tiny fraction of a percent of instances, shows that Idaho has been doing it well — well in advance of this being part of the national discourse.”
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump repeats false claims about droves of noncitizens voting
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, running again as the Republican presidential nominee, has repeatedly said noncitizens are being registered to vote, and falsely claimed that noncitizens swayed the 2016 election — which he won — and the 2020 election — which he lost, the Washington Post reported earlier this year.
This election cycle, Trump is continuing to make similar debunked claims.
But in a fact check of the September presidential debate, National Public Radio reported there is “no credible evidence” that noncitizens vote in federal elections, “or that there is an effort underway to illegally register undocumented immigrants to vote this election.”
In the Washington Post’s March 2024 review of the conservative Heritage Foundation’s database of election-fraud prosecution cases, 85 cases — from 2002 to 2023 — involved allegations of noncitizen voting.
“Every legitimate study ever done on the question shows that voting by noncitizens in state and federal elections is vanishingly rare,” the Brennan Center for Justice reported in April.
While a few local U.S. governments have allowed noncitizens to vote in local elections (none of which are in Idaho), no states let noncitizens vote in statewide elections, the Sun previously reported.
U.S. citizenship is required to vote in federal and Idaho elections.
How Idaho bolstered noncitizen vote prevention processes, under recent executive order
In July, McGrane and Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed an executive order that shores up processes to prevent noncitizen voting. Idaho elections already have strong mechanisms in place to ensure noncitizens don’t vote, the Sun reported.
2024 Idaho election preview: Only citizens can vote. Why amend Idaho’s Constitution?
The order — distinct from a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban noncitizen voting in Idaho elections, where citizenship is already required — was aimed at bolstering voter confidence, McGrane previously told the Sun.
Already, The Secretary of State’s office works with the Idaho Department of Transportation to check voter records. But the executive order called for additional security by partnering with Idaho State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to check immigration records, among the order’s other provisions.
One of the big changes for the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office stemming from the executive order is securing an agreement to verify citizenship data with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s database, McGrane told the Sun.
In July, the Secretary of State’s Office pulled the entire list of Idaho’s over 1 million registered voters, and had the Idaho Department of Transportation do a full comparison.
The initial review flagged 700 potential noncitizens on voter rolls, McGrane told the Sun. But the number of probable noncitizens fell significantly once officials validated the citizenship of over 600 people flagged for potential noncitizenship, down to 36 “very likely” noncitizens who were Idaho registered voters, he said.
“Maybe they were a noncitizen at one point. But … by the time they were registering to vote, they were actually citizens. It just hadn’t been updated on their driver’s license records,” McGrane told the Sun.
And Tripple urged caution overinterpreting the higher potential noncitizen vote estimate. That list, from the Idaho Department of Transportation, flags people as potential noncitizens for many reasons like, for instance, registering for a driver’s license years ago — before the federal STAR Card Act asked for birth certificates.
The “overwhelming majority” proved to be “false positives” once further investigated, he said.
“Spending that time to go through that is — it’s time consuming. But we do it because we know that people want to have trust in the elections process,” Tripple said.
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BOISE, Idaho — A Boise neighbor said she trapped the largest rat she has ever seen in her backyard, and a local pest control expert said he has already responded to multiple Treasure Valley homes this year to remove the rodents. As sightings increase, Idaho lawmakers are also taking action.
Britni Killeen, who grew up on a farm in East Idaho, said nothing could have prepared her for what she found in her West Boise backyard.
WATCH: What to do if you spot a rat near your residence
Rats spotted on the Boise Bench. What experts say you should do
“I’m a 5th-generation Idahoan, and I’ve never seen something that big,” Killeen said.
Killeen believes the rats may be swimming through the Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve and making their way into nearby neighborhoods.
“We live next door to the refuge, and if you have a gap between your fence, which we do, it’s about 3 ft, they come into your yard, and they can go under fences,” explained Killeen.
Alpha Home Pest Control has served the Treasure Valley for over 10 years. Owner Mike Hill said he has been receiving weekly calls about rat sightings. While some turn out to be false alarms, he has already visited seven Treasure Valley homes this year to remove rats. Hill said many of them may be arriving from out of state and staying because of the mild weather conditions.
“Washington, California, the shipping, the freight coming back and forth, they’re kind of stowaways,” Hill said. “Then with the mild winters that we’ve been having, [it] hasn’t really been killing them off.”
RELATED | ‘It was like an explosion of rats’: Neighbors report rise in pests
Hill said Norway and Roof rats can pose serious risks to both health and property.
“They carry disease, they carry fleas, ticks, they can chew through your wiring in your home,” Hill said. “Their teeth grow very rapidly, so there have been cases where they’re up there chewing on wires, [and] the house burns down.”
If you spot a rat, Hill recommends calling a professional to ensure there are not more hiding nearby. He also offered several prevention tips.
“The droppings of the fruit, excess fruit, keep that stuff picked up. Make sure that your trash is enclosed in either a hard plastic or metal container,” Hill said.
RELATED| Rodents of Unusual Size Act advances to House after 28-3 Senate vote
As rat sightings increase across the Treasure Valley, lawmakers are taking notice. On Thursday, the Idaho Senate passed the Rodents of Unusual Size Act, which would declare Norway and roof rats a public health and safety nuisance and requires the state to take action to control and remove them. That bill now heads to the House.
Killeen said the legislation is a step in the right direction.
“Considering how big that rat is, I would definitely say so,” Killeen said. “I didn’t even know that big of rats could exist in Idaho, but maybe I’m just rural.”
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
BOISE, Idaho — Idaho lawmakers have introduced legislation that would phase out state funding for the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs while keeping the commission in place.
The proposal, introduced by Rep. Jeff Ehlers, would gradually eliminate general fund support for the commission by July 1, 2028. The commission would continue to operate but would need to rely on private funding.
Rep. Ehlers told the House Revenue and Taxation Committee on Thursday that the proposal came from recommendations by Idaho’s DOGE Task Force, which reviewed government programs and spending.
READ MORE | Idaho DOGE Task Force recommends defunding Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs
The bill would also eliminate the commission from a list of organizations eligible for a state income tax charitable contribution credit.
Rep. Steve Berch questioned why the legislation would remove both state funding and the tax credit option, saying it could make it more difficult for the commission to raise money.
“I hate to use this word, but I’m really offended by this specific effort to make it that much more difficult for private citizens to be able to contribute to the Hispanic commission,” Rep. Berch said in committee. “I don’t think this can be justified from a financial point of view, and quite frankly, I don’t think it can be justified from a moral point of view.”
In response, Rep. Jason Monks said that it would be more “offensive” to not allow further discussion of the bill before a final decision is made.
The proposal comes after an earlier attempt this session to eliminate the commission entirely. In January, Rep. Heather Scott presented a draft bill that would have removed all references to the commission from Idaho law and dissolved it by July 1, but that measure failed to advance out of committee.
The committee ultimately voted on Thursday to introduce the legislation, allowing it to be printed and advanced for further debate.
This story has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Shanea Fulks is the owner of Seven Sisters Closet Revival, a new consignment store at 260 South Woodruff in Idaho Falls. Take a look inside in the video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
BIZ BUZZ
IDAHO FALLS
New consignment shop in Idaho Falls offers vintage clothes for customers and booth space for sellers
IDAHO FALLS – Curating vintage clothing is Shanea Fulks’s passion, and she’s sharing it with the community through a new business venture.
Seven Sisters Closet Revival opens Saturday at 260 South Woodruff inside Parkwood Plaza in Idaho Falls. It offers racks of vintage clothes for customers and booth space for others to sell their items.
“You get a rack with shelves, and you can come in throughout the week and sell things,” Fulks tells EastIdahoNews.com. “The things you’ll see in the middle of the store are pieces that I have curated. I hand-pick all the things I bring to the store.”
See some of the items in the video above.
Fulks says she’s had multiple people walk in already who are excited about the shop.
The store will have a grand opening this weekend. Fulks is partnering with the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce for a ribbon-cutting and open house at noon on Friday. A local band will be performing during the event.
Then on Saturday, a grand opening celebration will begin at 2 p.m. Several vendors and live entertainment will be available. Fulks says she’s looking forward to interacting with the community.
Fulks has been selling items from her personal collection online for years. After helping a mother and daughter find a formal dress during an interaction at another shop in town several years ago, Fulks says she realized there was a need for a store like this.
After about a year of working with real estate agents, Fulks says the Parkwood Plaza space formerly occupied by a beauty salon called Blush became available, and it was an ideal fit.
“It’s just been a whirlwind and we’re just trying to get it going,” says Fulks.
Fulks’ interest in fashion stems back to childhood. She lost her dad and stepdad to suicide at a young age and grew up in a household that struggled to make ends meet. As a result, she says they bought clothes at Goodwill and other secondhand stores.
She remembers being made fun of because of the clothes she wore. In time, she learned to embrace her uniqueness and developed an interest in vintage clothes.
“I’ve just always been attracted to old sweaters, military jackets (her dad served in Vietnam),” Fulks says. “I like to help people feel confident wearing something unique, even if it’s not trendy. Be bold and wear whatever you want.”
The idea of making the most of your circumstances and embracing who you are is inspired by her experience with suicide, and it’s reflected in the art that’s on display in her store.
“Part of the theme in my store is ‘Stay. We need you,’” she says.
The business name refers to her family. She comes from a blended family of six girls and four boys. When she and her husband were married, they had a daughter — the seventh sister.
Fulks says she’s looking forward to offering great deals to customers. She has two sons with autism who love art, and she wants to host art-themed events for people with special needs. She’d also like to host tea parties and other events in the future.
“I want people to come and feel like they belong,” she says. “I’m going to allow people to do karaoke. When you’re here, I want you to feel like you can have fun.”
Seven Sisters Closet Revival will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
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