About 30% of Idaho voters turned out for 2026 primary election, early data shows
Roughly 30.3% of Idaho’s registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s primary election for state legislative, statewide, congressional and county officials, according to initial figures from state election officials.
That is slightly above the median voter turnout for primary elections since 2000, which was about 28.1% voter turnout, according to the Idaho Capital Sun’s analysis of turnout data reported by the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office.
This year, no statewide incumbent constitutional officers besides the governor faced Republican primary challengers. Two-term Gov. Brad Little won an eight-way primary election Tuesday, and Idaho’s incumbent congressional Republicans all fended off challengers. But dozens of legislative races were competitive, and nine incumbent Republican lawmakers lost their re-election bids, including five members of a conservative group of lawmakers that pushed for budget cuts.
Boise State University political science professor Jaclyn Kettler called this year’s turnout impressive given the lack of primary challenges for statewide offices, which tend to drive turnout higher. But she said the competitive legislative primaries and local races helped contribute to the higher turnout levels.
https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/05/21/about-30-of-idaho-voters-turned-out-for-2026-primary-election-early-data-shows/