4-H coordinator pinch hit as Idaho House’s top parliamentarian

For the last few weeks of the legislative session, Cyrus Vore, a University of Idaho Extension 4-H Youth Development program coordinator, addressed the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives daily and played a central role in making the legislative process run smoothly.

UI Extension enabled Vore, 23, to seize the opportunity of a lifetime as a self-described political junkie, allowing him to serve as acting chief clerk of the Idaho House of Representatives while continuing his work with the Kootenai County 4-H program remotely.

Throughout most of the 2026 legislative session, Vore read nearly 600 bills, memorials and resolutions to lawmakers, recommended bill committee assignments and did essential behind-the-scenes work. He fulfilled his Extension duties during breaks, nights and weekends.

“Cyrus represented all of Idaho Extension to all of Idaho, and that’s just a huge positive,” said Rusty Gosz, director of UI Extension’s northern district. “Put your stars out front and let them do their thing, and that’s what we got to do with Cyrus.”

Working for 4-H is another dream job for Vore, who participated in the Kootenai County 4-H program for 8 years before joining the staff in June of 2025. He believes the program played a major role in preparing him for the successes he’s now enjoying.

“At its core, 4-H is really public speaking, meeting with people, shaking hands, making friends, making family,” Vore said. “I was constantly doing interviews in 4-H, so when it came to job interviews, I was like, ‘Sure, let’s do it.’”

4-H gave Vore an early taste of the political process. He participated in Know Your Government for three years — an immersive experience that teaches youth about government and the judicial system by challenging them to play roles in mock hearings and trials. As a high school senior, he was elected state 4-H president and spoke in that capacity during the annual Know Your Government Conference in Boise.

Vore earned enough dual-enrollment credits to graduate from high school in 2021, with associate degrees from North Idaho College in political science, pre-law, and general studies. Following high school, he attended NIC for a year and earned additional associate degrees in education and early childhood education.

He finished a bachelor’s degree in political science at Boise State University. During his first year at BSU, Vore accepted a part-time internship with U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho. While working for Crapo’s office, he received an email about another opportunity — serving as assistant chief clerk of the Idaho House of Representatives.

Following his successful application, Vore had a jam-packed schedule in the spring of 2023, taking 19 BSU credits online and working full time for the state Legislature.

“We created all of the physical bills, calendars, vote sheets — all of the physical paper trail and web records,” Vore said of his tenure as assistant chief clerk. “Our job was to work everything on the back side so the representatives could do their job without having to worry about that kind of stuff.”

After graduating from BSU, Vore continued his service as assistant chief clerk for two more legislative sessions before joining the Extension team and reconnecting with his 4-H roots.

Vore and his wife, Kyra, were on their honeymoon when he received a surprise call from his former boss, Chief Clerk Erica McGinnis. McGinnis informed him she would be on maternity leave throughout most of the 2026 session. McGinnis, House Speaker Mike Moyle and the speaker’s chief of staff, Jason Hancock, immediately thought of Vore as the perfect substitute.

“When I told the speaker I would be out on maternity leave, he said, ‘Well, we’ve got to get Cyrus back,’” McGinnis said. “The speaker pulled the strings and made it happen because Cyrus was the only one who had the next closest level of experience in the office.”

The chief clerk works full time during the session as the top parliamentarian for the House, responsible for advising members on parliamentary procedures, maintaining records of proceedings, handling administrative tasks to support the legislative process, performing clerical duties such as bill processing and maintaining the daily journal and supporting the speaker of the House.

Vore's brief tenure as chief parliamentarian also changed his views on the snail’s pace at which the legislative process proceeds. Rather than slow, he now describes the process as “deliberate” and “methodical,” understanding that painstaking work is necessary to ensure that proposed code adheres to legal precedent and fits well within the Idaho Constitution.

If there’s a lesson in Vore’s experience, he believes it’s to say “yes” when opportunity knocks.

“You never know where life is going to take you so rather than being worried about logistics, say ‘Yes’ and then figure it out,” Vore said. “Don’t start with no.”

    Members of the Idaho House of Representatives listen while Cyrus Vore addresses them. Vore filled in during the 2026 legislative session as acting clerk of the House. Courtesy photo.

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John O'Connell is the assistant director of communications for the University of Idaho.