Live updates: Prop 1 defeated

12:34 a.m. Mountain time: The backers of a ballot initiative that sought to repeal Idaho’s near-total abortion ban accepted defeat at 12:24 p.m. early Wednesday. The Associated Press had not yet called the race by then. But the defeat, announced by the group Idahoans United for Women and Families that pushed for the initiative, signals the end of the push, which drew record spending, including an influx from churches. By the time of the announcement, the initiative trailed with no votes from 55% of voters, from more than 328,000 votes, and yes votes from 44.8% of voters, or roughly 266,100 votes, according to unofficial election results.

11:38 p.m. Mountain time: Idaho Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Risch wins reelection to a fourth, six-year term representing Idaho in the U.S. Senate. The Associated Press called the race in Risch’s favor at 11:31 p.m. Risch defeated a crowded field of candidates with nearly 54.5% of the vote, or roughly 287,800 votes. The early, unofficial election results showed Risch had a nearly nine-point lead over independent challenger Todd Achilles, who received 35.6% of the vote, or about 187,700 votes. Risch is a powerful senator who serves as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But the Associated Press projects that Democrats will gain control of the Senate in the midterms elections. 

11:08 p.m. Mountain time: Idaho Republican Secretary of State Phil McGrane, the state’s top election official, is reelected to a second, four-year term. The Associated Press called the race for McGrane at 10:31 p.m. McGrane had about 64.6% of the vote, or more than 257,000 votes, over Democratic challenger Shawn Keenan, who had nearly 35.5% of the vote, or over 141,000 votes, according to early, unofficial election results.

10:58 p.m. Mountain time: Idaho voters resoundingly rejected a constitutional amendment that would’ve taken away their right to legalize maraijuana or other drugs. The Associated Press called that the amendment was shot down at 10:29 p.m. Tuesday. The amendment failed with 67% of voters, for a total of roughly 265,000 votes, voting against it, compared to 32% of voters, or more than 128,000 votes, for it, based on early, unofficial state election results. 

10:50 p.m. Mountain time: Idaho voters widely approved amending the Idaho Constitution to declare English as the state’s official language. The Associated Press declared the amendment, which was proposed by the Idaho Legislature last year, passed at 10:32 p.m. Wednesday. 

The amendment received support from 58.86% of Idaho voters, with about 200,000 votes, while 41.14% of voters opposed it, with roughly 140,000 votes, according to unofficial election results from the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office at 10:43 p.m. Tuesday. Half of Idaho’s 44 counties were fully reporting election results by then.

10:30 p.m.: Mountain time: Idaho Republican U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher won his re-election to a fifth term representing Idaho’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House. The Associated Press called the race in Fulcher’s favor at 9:43 p.m. Based on early, unofficial election results, Fulcher had 59.81% of the vote, or nearly 90,000 votes, beating out three challengers. Democratic challenger Kaylee Peterson came in second with 33.41% of the vote, or nearly 50,200 votes. 

9:12 p.m. Mountain time: Early statewide results are starting to appear on the Idaho Secretary of State’s website. Preliminary, unofficial results from Ada, Nez Perce and Twin Falls counties have been posted. The Secretary of State’s website also has a page dedicated to close races.

9 p.m. Mountain time: Election results are coming soon. Polls have closed in North Idaho, marking the end of voting in Idaho’s 2026 midterm general elections.

8:19 p.m. Mountain time: Idaho voters have turned out to the polls at rates higher than the last election for the state’s seven constitutional offices, the state’s top election official indicated based on a review of early data.

So far, more than 644,000 voters have cast ballots across Idaho on Election Day and beforehand, according to data shared by the Secretary of State’s Office. That makes for an at least 58% voter turnout level, which is a calculation based on what rate of registered voters turned out to the polls. In the state’s last statewide office election in 2022, Idaho had a 57.2% voter turnout rate, with 599,493 ballots cast.

“We’ve, I think, effectively have eclipsed that at this point,” Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane told reporters Tuesday night just before polls closed in southern Idaho.

On Election Day, McGrane said at least 43,000 Idahoans had registered to vote at the polls. He said that rate was normal.

8 p.m. Mountain time: Polls closed across southern Idaho. But if you were in line by 8 p.m., you can still vote.

In North Idaho, which is in the Pacific time zone, polls are open for another hour.

Election results won’t be displayed until after 9 p.m. Mountain time, after polls close in North Idaho. At that time, the initial results reported will largely only include results from early and absentee voting. Election Day votes will come in after. A batch of absentee votes — submitted late Tuesday before polls close — will be reported later in the night. It will likely take several hours until fuller results are reported. 

Find election results online on the Secretary of State’s website.

6:42 p.m. Mountain time: Across southern Idaho, polling places are in their busiest hours — after many people got off of work — and lines are expected in many locations, the state’s top election official told reporters.

Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane said the lines are so long in Canyon County, the state’s second most populous, that results from the county are expected to come in late tonight. The long lines are driven in part by high turnout after many people got out of work, and a long ballot that includes all statewide offices, some congressional seats, local races and three statewide ballot measures, McGrane said. At another point, he questioned whether Ada and Canyon counties had enough polling places and voting booths for this election.

He also said Custer County, a rural county in central Idaho, will hand count ballots.

More than 567,000 Idahoans have cast ballots so far — in yet another sign of high turnout for the state’s midterm election. About 272,000 of those votes were cast before Tuesday, which was 80,000 early and absentee votes higher than the state’s last election for statewide offices in 2022, McGrane said. 

Asked about federal election monitors sent to Idaho from the U.S. Justice Department, McGrane reported no issues — from voters themselves interacting with the monitors, or from the Justice Department on Idaho’s compliance with federal voting rights laws.

2:41 p.m. Mountain time: Idaho is on track to see high voter turnout for a midterm election, according to the state’s top election official, Republican Secretary of State Phil McGrane.

By the afternoon, 451,000 Idaho voters had cast ballots — including 272,000 who had cast ballots before Election Day through early or absentee voting, data from the state shows. That’s 42% of registered voters. McGrane said the state was “certainly on our way into the” 60% turnout range “based on the participation we’re seeing at this point.”

Several polling locations across the state are reporting lines, well before voting is expected to peak at 5 p.m. local time. 

Part of what’s driving lines at polling places, McGrane says, is the length of the ballot. In many areas, ballots span two to three pages, depending on local races for magistrate judges, county officials and more. That’s because there’s a long list of statewide races — for constitutional offices like the governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, and controller — along with congressional races, and three ballot measures. 

One ballot measure in particular — a constitutional amendment proposed by the Legislature to strip voters of the right to legalize drugs by ballot initiative, called HJR 4 — is challenging to read, McGrane noted. He said he’d heard voters had been confused as to what the amendment actually does. 

But another ballot measure, a non-binding vote to help determine the state’s official gun, is considered the easiest to read in the nation. That’s according to a recent analysis by Ballotpedia, highlighted by Stateline.

2:35 p.m. Mountain time: By midday, a polling place in downtown Boise had a line out the door that took about 20 minutes to get through. 

The polling place, at the Dick Eardley Senior Center, had a line all day since it opened at 8 a.m., said poll worker David Wallace, who serves as the precinct’s chief judge.

“This is about as busy as I’ve seen it in a couple of years,” Wallace said. “… We haven’t really had a break. We’ve had a steady line from opening at 8 o’clock, and we expect to see it all wait until 8 o’clock.”

Some voters who spoke with the Idaho Capital Sun said they turned out, in part, to vote on Proposition 1, a ballot initiative that would end Idaho’s near-total abortion ban. 

Gina Smith said she votes every election, including this year’s primary election. But she said she made sure to turn out Tuesday to vote no on Prop 1. She described herself as a “right-to-lifer.”

“I moved to Idaho for the conservative values that we’ve always had, and I want to keep it that way, as long as we can,” Smith said. 

A few minutes later, Laura Hancock walked out of the polls after voting for Prop 1. But she said she would’ve showed up even if it wasn’t on the ballot; she said she tries to vote in November every election cycle.

“This is how we get to exercise our opinions on how we think the state and country, etc., and city should be run,” Hancock said. “So, (the) only way to do that is to show up.”

Mike Elrod, donning a bushy horseshoe mustache, said he turned out to vote because it’s his job. 

“It’s part of just being a good citizen,” he said. “You have to show up. Got to make your voice be known. This is the only way we get to really … get a chance to do it.”

He wouldn’t say if a specific race motivated him to vote this year.

12:43 p.m. Mountain time: Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane told reporters on a 10:30 a.m. call that so far nearly 350,000 voters had cast ballots in Idaho’s election. That number includes 270,000 people who turned out at high rates to cast ballots via early and absentee voting. He said county officials have said Proposition 1, a ballot initiative to end the state’s near total-abortion ban, has been the driving force behind high early and absentee voting rates.

9 a.m. Mountain time/8 a.m. Pacific: Polls opened across North Idaho.

8 a.m. Mountain time: Polls open across southern Idaho, where voters can cast ballots for ballot measures, statewide office, congressional seats, legislative seats and local races. In North Idaho, polls will open in an hour. Results won’t start being reported until 9 p.m. Mountain time, when polls in North Idaho close and an hour after southern Idaho polls close. The Secretary of State’s Office will provide media updates throughout the day until just before polls close in southern Idaho.

Last updated: 8:19 pm