Voters asked to pre-register

Today is the last day residents can register to vote unless they want to do it on Election Day, Kootenai County Clerk Dan English said.

The pre-registration allows people to have their names printed in the poll books so that when they show up at their voting location Nov. 2 they won’t have to show photo identification and proof they have lived in the county for 30 days.

Because of the expected high voter turnout, English is encouraging voters to pre-register so they wait in fewer lines on Election Day. The Kootenai County Election Office at 315 W. Garden Ave. is staying open until 8 p.m. tonight so people can register.

“We’re expecting an overflow crowd,” English said, adding that presidential elections usually attract the most voters. “There’s something — a momentum in the air.”

Besides federal races, Kootenai County voters will select Idaho legislative candidates.

Any local groups that have had voter-registration drives must return the registration cards to the county office by 8 p.m.

People can still register at the county office in the next few weeks, but they won’t be recorded in the poll books. English suggests that these people fill out the registration card and then vote absentee at the same time.

Voters can also register on Election Day but must bring photo identification and proof they have lived in the county for 30 days, such as a utility bill.

So far, a record 62,254 people are registered to vote in Kootenai County, and English expects the number to reach at least 65,000.

Since Sept. 1, the county has registered 3,397 new voters. And since absentee voting started, the county has received 2,030 ballots. For more information, call the Kootenai County Election Office at 446-1030.