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Idaho’s ongoing post-election audit process cleared another milestone Wednesday when officials verified that machine-counted results from Ada County’s May 19 primary election matched a hand tally of paper ballots conducted at the county’s elections warehouse.
Why It Matters
For Idaho voters, the confirmation carries practical weight: election results in Ada County — the state’s most populous — will not stand as certified until the Idaho Board of Canvassers meets on June 9. The audit process, now in its fifth county this week, is designed to reinforce public confidence in the accuracy of the state’s paper-ballot system before that certification occurs.
Secretary of State Phil McGrane framed the week’s efforts around openness, saying the exercise is aimed at transparency and strengthening voter confidence. He also emphasized that Idaho’s reliance on paper ballots gives auditors a concrete record to check against digital tallies. “The paper ballot is the official record,” McGrane said in remarks on the process.
What Happened
On the morning of June 3, teams of four auditors — state officials paired with Boise State University accounting students — assembled inside the Ada County Elections Office warehouse and began working through ballots at 9 a.m. Each team divided its duties: one auditor read vote selections aloud from the gubernatorial race ballot by ballot, while two accounting students logged counts independently on separate tally sheets.
The audit covered a selection of precincts, absentee ballot batches, and early voting ballots. Ada County Sheriff’s Office deputies were present throughout to oversee the proceedings. The full process wrapped up in roughly two and a half hours.
The audit is required under legislation the Idaho Legislature passed unanimously in 2022 and that Gov. Brad Little signed into law. That measure, Senate Bill 1274, established the framework for post-election hand-count audits of randomly selected counties. The audits are open to the public and news media and are also livestreamed.
By the Numbers
- 8 Idaho counties randomly selected for post-primary audits this week
- May 29 — date of the random county selection drawing held at the Idaho State Capitol
- 2.5 hours — time required to complete the Ada County audit
- 4 auditors per table, including Boise State accounting students serving as independent talliers
- June 9 — date the Idaho Board of Canvassers convenes to officially certify the statewide primary results
Audit Schedule and Sequence
Ada County’s review was the fifth of eight planned county audits. Gooding, Lemhi, and Franklin counties were audited on Monday, followed by Canyon County on Tuesday. Butte County is scheduled for Thursday morning, with Power County to follow Thursday afternoon. Owyhee County closes out the week with a Friday morning audit.
A full audit report is expected to be presented to the Idaho Board of Canvassers on Tuesday, ahead of the formal certification vote on June 9.
Zoom Out
The audits arrive during what has been an eventful primary cycle across Idaho. Several incumbent lawmakers lost their seats in the May 19 contest, reflecting ongoing intraparty competition within the Idaho Republican Party. Locally, at least three candidates — including two sitting trustees — have announced bids for open Boise School Board positions, signaling continued public engagement in down-ballot races that often draw less attention than statewide contests.
Idaho’s audit model — random county selection, transparent public process, and university student involvement — reflects a broader national push to build verifiable paper-trail systems that give voters an independent check on electronic ballot counting. The unanimous legislative passage of the enabling law in 2022 suggests the approach has broad bipartisan support within the state.
What’s Next
Once the remaining county audits are completed, a compiled report will go before the Idaho Board of Canvassers at its Tuesday session. The board is then scheduled to formally certify the May 19 primary results on June 9, at which point the election outcomes — including those from Ada County — will become the official record of the state.
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