We used to be first

Idaho once led the nation in voter turnout, but no more. Now we’re down to near the middle of the pack.

In 1960, Idaho was No. 1 in the nation in turnout among its voting-age population. In 1980, we were No. 2. But in 2000, according to Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, we were 20th. “We’re slipping,” Ysursa said. “We want to get back up to where we belong, which is near the top.”

As part of that effort, the state has launched a new voter information website, www.idahovotes.gov , for easy access to everything from voter registration information to how to find your county clerk to election-night results. Thanks to funding from the federal Help America Vote Act and cooperation from an array of Idaho civic, government and business groups, there will also be billboards and radio and TV ads to remind people to vote.

Said Ysursa, “We’ve done it well historically; we need to do better.”