Bill
H 2
Idaho: Raises statewide initiative threshold to 60% of votes; referendums keep simple majority. Affects voters and proponents; effective immediately by emergency clause.
Title: An act relating to elections; amending provisions governing statewide initiative and referendum voting thresholds and making technical corrections
Status: Governor approved March 31, 2025; enacted with an emergency clause (effective on passage and approval)
Key details
- Bill number: H 2 (House Bill No. 2)
- Primary house designation: By State Affairs Committee
- Code sections amended: Idaho Code § 34-1811 and § 34-1813
- Introduced: January 8, 2025
- Enacted: Governor signed March 31, 2025 (delivered to Governor March 27, 2025)
Purpose and intent
- To raise the required approval threshold for statewide initiatives and to make related technical corrections and removal of obsolete language in Idaho’s initiative and referendum statutes.
Major provisions and changes
- Initiative approval threshold (Idaho Code § 34-1811 and § 34-1813):
- Changes the approval requirement for statewide initiatives from a simple majority (previously “majority”) to at least sixty percent (60%) of the aggregate number of votes cast on that measure.
- The approval requirement for referendums remains an affirmative majority of the votes cast (i.e., a simple majority).
- Counting, canvass, proclamation, and effective dates (Idaho Code § 34-1813):
- Clarifies canvass and proclamation language to reflect the new 60% threshold for statewide initiatives; retains existing procedures for canvass by county auditors and for canvass by the Secretary of State in the presence of the Governor (within 30 days after the election, or sooner if returns are complete).
- Reaffirms rules for effective dates:
- A statewide initiative may specify an effective date no earlier than July 1 of the year following the election; if none is specified, the default effective date is July 1 of the following year.
- City or county initiatives may set earlier effective dates but not earlier than local proclamation rules (mayor or board of county commissioners); if none specified, default effective date is July 1 following year.
- Conflict resolution:
- Retains existing rule that, when conflicting measures are approved at the same election, the measure receiving the greatest number of affirmative votes prevails on conflicts.
- Technical corrections:
- Removes obsolete language and makes conforming edits to statute text (wording and cross-references).
Who is affected
- Primarily affects proponents, opponents, and the electorate concerning statewide citizen-initiated ballot measures in Idaho. By raising the approval threshold for statewide initiatives to 60%, fewer initiatives are likely to qualify as law absent broader voter support.
- Election administrators (county auditors, Secretary of State) are affected only insofar as statutory language governing canvass/proclamation is revised; no procedural overhaul is required.
Fiscal impact
- The attached fiscal note states the legislation has no fiscal impact on state or local government—no additional expenditures or changes in revenue.
Legislative timeline (selected)
- Introduced: 01/08/2025
- Passed legislature: March 2025 (final legislative actions and readings in March)
- Delivered to Governor: 03/27/2025
- Governor signed/approved: 03/31/2025 — emergency clause makes the act effective immediately
Sponsors / proponents
- House: introduced by the State Affairs Committee; co-sponsorship listed in legislative materials (see enacted bill text for co-sponsor roster).
Potential implications (neutral framing)
- Raising the initiative threshold from a simple majority to 60% increases the voter consensus required to adopt statewide ballot-initiated laws, which may reduce the number of citizen-initiated measures that become law and influence campaign strategies for ballot measures. The change does not alter the simple-majority requirement for referendums.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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