Interest is high, and lines are long, to vote early in Kootenai County

Voters have waited in long lines all week at the Kootenai County elections office to cast early ballots in Tuesday’s presidential election.

They’re there early each morning, on their lunch breaks and all through the day.

“We have been slammed,” said Carrie Phillips, the county elections manager.

Over 750 people waited in line to vote at the office Wednesday, with some waiting up to an hour to get their ballots. Dozens are lined up each morning before the office opens at 8 a.m.

“We came by yesterday and the line was out the door, so we went and did other errands,” said Jeanne Weaver, of Post Falls. “I’m saying my prayers, I will tell you.”

Her husband, John Weaver, said he’s encouraged by the lines.

“I think it’s good that people are engaged, that maybe they were lackadaisical over the last I don’t know how many elections,” he said. “So that’s good.”

Idaho still conducts poll elections, rather than vote-by-mail like Washington and Oregon. But a wave of Idaho voters is casting absentee ballots ahead of Election Day; they can do so in person, through early voting or by mail.

Over 7,500 Kootenai County residents have voted this way so far. That’s about 10 percent of the registered voters.

High interest in the presidential race has driven voter registration and early voting this year, and polling places are expected to be hopping Tuesday.

But the surge in early voting should relieve some of the pressure Tuesday. “This election we have had more people request absentee ballots and vote early, so that should help this go-around,” Phillips said.

Trisha Leonard-Walker, of Post Falls, joined the line as it snaked out the office into a parking lot.

“It’s not moving very quickly,” she said, but added it may be faster than voting on Election Day. Leonard-Walker remembers long lines at the polls in 2012 as well.

But because she’s leaving town before Tuesday, “I have to come do this now, or I’ll miss it. … I wouldn’t even have thought about voting early if I didn’t have to leave.”

This is the first time Dolores Lunde, of Coeur d’Alene, has tried to vote by absentee ballot. But when she saw the long line ahead of her, she decided to leave and try again another time.

“I have my three little Shih Tzus in my car. I’ll just come back another day,” said Lunde, who revealed her candidate preference by saying she wants to see a “businessperson” in the White House.

Bret Minzghor, of Coeur d’Alene, showed up expecting the line for what was his first use of absentee voting.

“If it’s too long, I might have to go to the regular polls,” he said, adding he’d wait as long as necessary to cast his ballot Tuesday.

So many voters have swarmed the elections office in Midtown, the city of Coeur d’Alene designated East Poplar Avenue between Third and Fourth streets as temporary “Election Only” parking to accommodate the traffic.