Oregon Public Broadcasting

Election day is still more than two weeks away, but early voting in Idaho means that voters are already going to the polls to cast ballots. Coeur d’Alene correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports.

Can’t wait to put an ‘O’ around Barack Obama’s name? Or check the box next to John McCain?

In Coeur d’Alene, county elections manager Deedie Beard says voters who don’t want to wait are already streaming in to the Kootenai County elections office.

Deedie Beard: “We had about 200 that walked in our doors and voted yesterday.”

Beard says Idaho state law allows all counties to begin offering in-person voting this week.

Deedie Beard: “When there’s only one day that you can vote, if something happens to come up, you could miss it. So people like to take care of it ahead of time.”

Beard says the early returns show Kootenai County may have a record turnout this election, a trend that’s expected statewide.

In Idaho, there’s no waiting period between registration and voting. Unlike Oregon and Washington, where most people vote by mail, in Idaho, going to the polls is still the most popular method of voting.