Election Day is Tuesday in Southeast Idaho and polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in various locations.

Voters in Southeast Idaho are being asked to cast ballots for candidates in contested municipal and school board races, to consider district levies and, in one county, whether to recall an elected official.

Early and absentee voting, which began Oct. 14 and ended Friday, was higher in two counties and about the same for a nonpresidential election in all other regional counties as election officials brace for a solid or above-average turnout.

Numerous candidates across five Southeast Idaho counties are vying for city and school board positions in Tuesday’s election

Local voters will also decide the fate of several ballot issues in Southeast Idaho ranging from school and cemetery funding to the use of local option taxes.

Uncontested races are no longer being listed on election ballots.

Bannock County Elections Director Julie Hancock said there were about 600 more early voters this year than those cast in 2021 “which basically had identical races on the ballot,”

“We were busier than I think we thought we were going to be, which means tomorrow is going to be a little bit of a crapshoot,” Hancock said. “ None of us really know what to expect, but we have taken a ton of phone calls today about where to go to vote, and then we have redirected numerous people that have come here to early vote. We’ve redirected, I’d say about 40 to 50 people looking to early vote today.

When asked about how voters can find their polling location, Hancock said, “We have a kiosk on our website that says where to vote, and it’ll take them to an interactive map that they just type their address in, or they can go to voteidaho.gov. They can also call us at 208-236-7333.

Power County Clerk Sharee Sprague said there were 111 ballots cast during early voting, “which is higher than normal.”

“We’re getting a lot of interest from parties that don’t live within the taxing districts,” she said. “So there’s a lot of interest in the election, but not necessarily with people that live within the boundaries to cast a ballot. I’m assuming that’ll help with our numbers throughout the day.”

Sprague said she is hopeful for a strong turnout on Tuesday.

Caribou County Clerk Sharlene Simons said she, too, is hoping for a good turnout and is “encouraging everyone in the county to come out and cast a ballot.”

Anyone interested in completing or in possession of an absentee ballot can visit the courthouse in person up until 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Bear Lake County Clerk Amy Bishop said absentee voting was “pretty typical for an off-election year.”

She expects results to be posted shortly after 9 p.m., noting the wait for polls to close in North Idaho, which operates on Pacific Standard Time.

Bannock CountyMore than 20 residents have announced they’re running for mayor, city council or school board across Bannock County’s Pocatello-Chubbuck area.

The candidates for Pocatello mayor include Brian Blad, Greg Cates, Mark Dahlquist, Nate Kessel, Idaho Law-Carta Sierra-Idaho Lorax, Steve Brown and Alana Leonhardy.

The candidates running for Pocatello City Council Seat 4 are Dakota Bates, James Bucci and Jim Young. Linda Leeuwrik, Jeremy Marley, Stacey Satterfield and Keven Lewis are running for Pocatello City Council Seat 5, and Melissa Hartman and Ann Swanson are running for Seat 6.

The city of Chubbuck also has contested races for mayor and City Council.

Kevin England and Rodney Burch are the two candidates who are running for mayor in Chubbuck, while Mandy Peace and Norman Reece are running for Chubbuck City Council Seat 4.

Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 has three contested school board races. In Zone 1, appointed school board member Megan Furniss faces a challenge from Cami Ellis. Zone 2 school board member Heather Clarke is facing a challenge from Douglas Johnson, while the Zone 5 school board race features incumbent Deanna Judy facing off against former school board member Dave Mattson.

In Marsh Valley School District 21, the only contested school board race is the Zone 1 contest between Burnadene Dawson and Barbara Hill.

In Downey, the top two vote getters among candidates John Hyde, Grant Johnson, Lawrence Lucius, Lorraine Wheatley and Kenneth McQuivey will be elected to the two available seats on the City Council.

In Lava Hot Springs, the top two vote getters among candidates Diane Beckstead, Mark Oyler and Wendy Prather will be elected to the two available seats on the City Council.

Voters will also decide a couple of ballot issues on Tuesday in Bannock County.

Voters in Marsh Valley School District 21 are being asked to approve a nearly $1.5 million annual supplemental levy. The levy will be in effect for two years starting in fiscal 2026 if approved by a majority of the district’s voters. The levy funds will be used to pay for the district’s curriculum; special populations that are currently underfunded by state and federal dollars; extracurricular activities such as sports, arts and scholastic teams; and staff including classroom aides, library aides, custodial services, bus drivers and food service workers. The levy would cost Marsh Valley School District property owners $62.74 annually per $100,000 of taxable assessed property value for two years.

Lava Hot Springs residents will be voting on a proposed amendment to the city’s non-property tax ordinance “to include maintenance and general upkeep of the Lava Hot Springs Community and Seniors Center as an allowable use of local option tax funds,” according to the ballot question. The ballot issue must be approved by a minimum of 60 percent of Lava Hot Springs voters to take effect. Supporting the ballot issue will have no local option tax impact.

Bear Lake CountyThe city of Bloomington has three candidates running for two City Council positions. They are A. Colin Hart, Cynthia Piggott and Dan Porter.

The city of Georgetown has candidates running for mayor and City Council positions. Gregory Kunz and Tony Price are running for mayor, and Brooke Bergholm, Miles Cook and Jordan Rasmusson are running for two City Council positions.

In the city of Montpelier, Richard Barako, Shane Johnson, Warren McMurray, Quinton Pope and Brady Shultis are running for the three available City Council posts. The top three vote getters will win the seats.

Bear Lake County residents will also be voting on whether or not to recall Bear Lake County Prosecutor Adam McKenzie.

Bingham CountyBlackfoot has a contested race for mayor with the field of candidates consisting of Michael Oborn, Scott D. Stufflebeam, Melwood Chris Matson and Brent Arave.

The only contested school board race in Blackfoot School District 55 is in Zone 1 between candidates Kevin Callahan and Taryn Shoyo.

In the city of Aberdeen, the top three vote getters among candidates Karalee Krehbiel-Wellard, Brian Schneider, Victor Centeno, Mikki Leishman, Jake Duffin, Linda Cardona and Jessica Lopez will win the three available seats on the City Council.

Aberdeen School District 58 has two contested school board races. Brian Rowlan and Marci Bradley are running for the school board Zone 1 seat, while Amy Burusco and Stephanie Harris are running for the Zone 4 board position.

In the city of Basalt, candidates Laura Stewart-Burch, Alan Kremin, Gilford Patton and Martin Wilson are running for the two available council seats.

The city of Shelley has multiple contested races. Kim Westergard and Alan Dial are running for mayor, while Flint Christensen and Louise Street are running for City Council Seat 3. Randy Haderlie and Sean Kress are running for City Council Seat 4.

Firth School District 59 has two contested school board races. Aaron Taylor and Bryce Jolley are running for the Zone 4 board seat, and Emily Freeman and Dallas Herbst are running for the Zone 5 board seat.

The only ballot issue in Bingham County is for Shelley School District 60, which is asking voters there to approve an $825,000 annual supplemental levy for two years starting in fiscal 2026. If approved by a majority of district voters, the levy funds would be used to fund custodial and maintenance supplies and salaries, a school resource officer position, supplemental pay for teachers and other employees, supplemental stipends for coaches and advisers, extracurricular activities and travel expenses. The levy’s annual property tax impact if approved would be $60.48 of taxable assessed property value for two years.

Caribou CountyThe city of Bancroft has two candidates running for mayor. They are Eric Christensen and Joe Perry.

The city of Grace has two candidates running for mayor. They are David Pristupa and Jackie Barthlome.

The city of Soda Springs has contested races for mayor and City Council. The candidates running for mayor are Paul Gritton, Brock Byram and Robert Lau. The candidates for two seats on the City Council are Rodney Worthington, Ryan Carpenter and Paige Byram.

The candidates running for the North Gem School District 149 school board Zone 3 seat are Philip Knox and Brandi Wakley.

There are also multiple ballot issues in Caribou County for voters to decide on Tuesday.

The North Gem School District is asking voters there to support a $350,000 annual supplemental levy for two years starting in fiscal 2026. If a majority of district voters support the levy, the funds will help pay for district employee salaries and benefits, classroom supplies, athletics and other activities. The levy would have less of a property tax impact than the existing levy it would replace. The new levy would result in an annual property tax impact of $159.72 per $100,000 of taxable assessed property value for two years, which is nearly $10 less per year than the existing levy.

There are three Caribou County cemetery levy overrides that will be on Tuesday’s ballot.

The Grace Cemetery is seeking an $8,000 annual levy override for two years starting in October 2026. The levy override would have a lower tax impact than the levy override it would replace. The new levy override would result in an annual property tax impact of $4.37 per $100,000 of taxable assessed property value, which is 33 cents less per year than the existing levy override.

The Thatcher Cemetery is seeking a $2,500 annual levy override for two years starting in October 2026. The levy override would have a lower tax impact than the levy override it would replace. The new levy override would result in an annual property tax impact of $6.88 per $100,000 of taxable assessed property value, which is 41 cents less per year than the existing levy override.

The Bancroft Cemetery is seeking an $8,000 annual levy override for two years starting in October 2026. The levy override would have a lower tax impact than the levy override it would replace. The new levy override would result in an annual property tax impact of $4.61 per $100,000 of taxable assessed property value, which is 28 cents less per year than the existing levy override.

Power CountyIn the city of American Falls, there are two mayoral candidates on the ballot, although one of them has announced he’s no longer running. Interim Mayor Gilbert Hofmeister is the only candidate still running for the post after candidate Mark Love announced after the deadline that he was no longer seeking the position. This means Love’s name will remain on the ballot though he has dropped out of the race.

The candidates for the three contested seats on the American Falls City Council are Baylee Ramirez, Gerald Hubbs, Joyce Foster, Luis Perez, M. Dan Hammond and Tammy Trent. The top three vote-getters will win the seats.

There is one contested race on the American Falls School District 381 school board. Candidates Elaine Beyeler and Jim Reed are running for the school board’s Zone 2 position.

The city of Rockland has three candidates running for two available City Council seats. The candidates are Gerald Brady, Eric Radford and Angela Radford. The Radfords are husband and wife. The top two vote getters will win the seats.