Teton County Voter Guide: Every Race on the Nov. 3 Ballot

Results, Nov. 4: Teton County elected Kim Keeley to the District 1 commission seat, passed the School District 401 levy and backed Prop 1, which trailed statewide in the unofficial count. Full unofficial results

DRIGGS — Teton County voters will choose candidates in 18 races and decide five ballot measures on Nov. 3. This Teton County voter guide lists all of them, from U.S. Senate down to county coroner, in the order of the county's sample ballot. Thirteen of the races are contested. Five county offices have one candidate each.

The county notes on the sample that candidates "May Not be listed In the Same Order On Your Official Ballot." Party labels are as printed: REP (Republican), DEM (Democratic), IND (independent), LIB (Libertarian), and CON (Constitution). Incumbents are marked. Each sitting officeholder in these races is running for the same seat again except the county clerk, who is running for commissioner.

In contested races, this Teton County voter guide lists each candidate's published priorities beneath the name, in the candidate's own words and in the order the source gives them, up to five, as of Oct. 30. The source is the candidate's campaign website unless noted.

Federal offices

Members of Congress write federal law. U.S. senators serve six-year terms and represent the whole state; the House member for Idaho's 2nd District serves two years.

U.S. Senator

• Todd Achilles (IND)
  • Stop Corruption in Congress · Reduce the National Debt · Give Working Families a Fighting Chance · Make Healthcare & Housing Affordable Again · Protect Public Lands
• Natalie M Fleming (IND)
  • Protecting Idaho homeownership from Wall Street · Common-sense immigration reform · Fiscal responsibility & economic fairness · Truth, transparency & principled leadership · Environmental stewardship for Idaho's future
• Matt Loesby (LIB)
  • Close the Border. End Birthright Citizenship · Bring all the troops all the way home · End the Federal Reserve · End the Drug War (the site's home page still shows a 2024 U.S. House run)
• Jim Risch (REP), incumbent
  • Defending Idaho's Public Lands · Affordability · Boosting Small Business · Fighting for Idaho Farmers · Securing Our Southern Border

U.S. Representative, District 2

• Ellie Gilbreath (DEM)
  • Restore Constitutional Balance and Accountability · Protect Idaho's Public Lands, Water, and Energy · Lower Costs for Idaho Families · Healthcare and Family Stability · Protect Fundamental Freedoms
• Emre Houser (IND)
  • Constitutional Integrity · Protect Public Lands · Agricultural Support · Veterans · Medical Spending Savings
• Tripp Charles Hutchinson (IND)
  • Congressional Term Limits · Ban Congressional Stock Trading · End Forever Wars · Lifetime Lobbying Ban for former Members of Congress · Minimum Tax for Billionaires
• Will Johanson (LIB)
  • "In Congress, I will vote 'No' on any budget that will increase the national debt." Taxation: "Theft." Second Amendment: "Shall not be infringed."
• Mike Simpson (REP), incumbent
  • Stop Illegal Immigration · Agriculture · Green New Deal & Our Energy Future · Veterans · Protecting Our Elections

State offices

Idaho's seven statewide executive offices all carry four-year terms under Article IV of the state constitution.

Governor

The governor holds "the supreme executive power of the state" and must "see that the laws are faithfully executed."

• Brad Little (REP), incumbent
  • Cutting red tape · Supporting parents and education · Providing historic tax relief and a balanced budget · Making America Great Again · Securing the Border and Our Communities (listed as accomplishments; the site has no issues page)
• Terri Pickens (DEM)
  • Economic Growth · Workers' Rights · Public Education · Public Lands · Civil Rights
• Pro-Life (CON). Formerly known as Marvin Richardson, the candidate changed his legal name to Pro-Life.
  • Abortion is Murder · Unjust War is Murder · Socialism is Collective Theft · Fiat currency is counterfeit money and a theft device
• Paul Sand (LIB)
  • Stated platform: "to permanently remove politics from state government and keep it out of local government."
• John R. Stegner (IND)
  • Affordability · Healthcare Access · Education & Opportunity · Constitutional Leadership · Public Lands
• The sample ballot prints a write-in line in this race.

Lieutenant Governor

Presides over the state Senate, voting only to break a tie, and takes over the governor's duties if the governor can't serve.

• Scott Bedke (REP), incumbent
  • Lowering Your Taxes and Reducing Regulation · Standing With Law Enforcement · Defending Idaho Values · Water · Education
• Eric Myricks (DEM)
  • Smarter Budgets, Stronger Futures · Protecting Idaho's Healthcare · Public Education Must Thrive · Idaho Values That Unite - Not Divide · Water and Public Lands

Secretary of State

Idaho's chief election officer and keeper of the state's official records, including the acts and resolutions the Legislature passes.

• Shawn Keenan (DEM)
  • Said he is running again "to be a voice for the truth" that Idaho's elections "are indeed safe and secure," and backs a state-issued voter guide mailed to voters (Idaho Capital Sun interview, Oct. 19; no campaign site)
• Phil McGrane (REP), incumbent
  • Protect our Elections · Protect our Lands · Protect our Values

State Controller

Keeps the state's accounts, runs state payroll, and prepares the state's annual financial statement.

• Rakesh Mohan (DEM)
  • Accountability, Performance, and Meaningful Transparency
• Brandon D Woolf (REP), incumbent
  • Government Transparency · Fiscal Responsibility · Endowment Lands · Serving Idahoans

State Treasurer

Receives and holds state money and invests idle funds.

• Julie A. Ellsworth (REP), incumbent
  • Financial Results · Service to Idahoans · Proven Experience with Entire Treasurer's office and duties (Idaho Capital Sun questionnaire)
• Kevin A Jones (DEM)
  • Improve the investment performance of the investment funds · Lower the cost of Idaho's public debt · Lobby in support of amending the Constitution to make the treasurer position nonpartisan (Idaho Capital Sun questionnaire)

Attorney General

The state's lawyer: represents Idaho and its agencies in court and advises state officials.

• Lori Hickman (DEM)
  • Restore Trust and Integrity · Uphold the Rule of Law · Keep Federal Lands in Public Hands · Preserve Women's Access to Safe Healthcare · Oversee Stewardship of Idaho's School Endowment Lands
• Raul R. Labrador (REP), incumbent
  • Defending Traditional Values · Protecting Children From Online Predators · Fighting for Parental Rights · Standing Against Illegal Immigration · Defending Gun Owners

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Runs the State Department of Education and carries out the State Board of Education's policies for public schools.

• Debbie Critchfield (REP), incumbent
  • Back to the Basics · Protect and Promote American Values · Prepare Students with Life Skills
• Teresa Roundy (CON)
  • Stated focus: "implementing child-safety-first curriculum and initiatives within our state." On the Parental Choice Tax Credit: "I am not in favor of this program." (CBS2 candidate survey; no campaign site)
• Becky Sundin Mitchell (DEM)
  • Modernize Idaho's School Funding Model · Support Our Educators · Transparent and Accountable Spending · Improve Reading Outcomes · Ensure Every Student has Supports

Legislative District 35

Teton County sits in Legislative District 35, which elects one state senator and two state representatives. All three serve two-year terms and vote on state law and the state budget in Boise.

State Senator

• Mark Harris (REP), incumbent
  • Pro-growth · Pro-education · Pro-family · Pro-Idaho
• Marty Rotz Kilhefner (DEM)
  • Protecting women's healthcare · Strengthening public schools · Caring for our environment · Treating every person with dignity and respect (campaign Facebook page)

State Representative, Seat A

• Walter Boyd (DEM)
  • Public Education · Water Security · Artificial Intelligence · Rural Healthcare · Affordability, Taxes, and Economic Fairness
• Mike Veile (REP), incumbent
  • Investing in Our Children · Protecting Idaho's Public Lands & Waters · Keeping Idaho's Economy Competitive · Your Tax Dollars. Your Future.

State Representative, Seat B

• Mary Kaufman (DEM)
  • Has published no positions: no campaign site or social page, and no answers to the CBS2 or FairCare Idaho candidate questionnaires as of Oct. 30
• Joshua D. Wheeler (REP), incumbent
  • Protect and Promote Small Businesses · Strong Families · Education · Responsible Growth · Limited Government

County offices

The three-member Board of County Commissioners is the county's governing body. It adopts the county budget and acts in executive, legislative, and quasi-judicial roles, according to the county. Two of the three seats are on this ballot. Idaho law staggers them, so each election fills one four-year seat and one two-year seat, with the four-year term rotating among the districts. The District 3 seat, held by Commissioner Ron James, is not up this year.

County Commissioner, District 1, four-year term

• Kim Keeley (DEM)
  • Maximizing Benefits and Minimizing Costs · Housing Supply and Demand · Protecting Our Heritage and Quality of Life · Planning for a Sustainable Future
• Brad Wolfe (REP), incumbent
  • Fiscal responsibility · Environmental stewardship · Economic prosperity

Keeley and Wolfe took students' questions on growth, wildlife, housing and immigration enforcement at a Teton High School forum on Oct. 28.

County Commissioner, District 2, two-year term

• Daniel Powers (DEM), incumbent, unopposed

Clerk of the District Court

Teton County's clerk is clerk of the district court, county auditor and recorder, clerk to the commissioners, budget officer, and elections administrator. The current clerk, Kim Keeley, is running for commissioner in District 1.

• Bevin Taylor (DEM), unopposed

County Treasurer

Receives and pays out county money and collects property taxes.

• Liz Card (DEM), incumbent, unopposed

County Assessor

Locates and values all taxable property in the county. The assessor's office notes that it "does not set taxes."

• Havala Arnold (REP), incumbent, unopposed

County Coroner

Investigates deaths that state law requires the coroner to look into, including suspected homicides and suicides, accidental deaths, and deaths that occur under suspicious or unknown circumstances or go unattended.

• Theresa Lerch (REP), incumbent, unopposed

Ballot measures

The first four measures are on ballots statewide. The fifth is local to Teton School District 401. The descriptions and YES/NO statements in this Teton County voter guide are the ones printed on the county's sample ballot.

House Joint Resolution 4 would amend the Idaho Constitution to "give the Legislature exclusive authority to legalize marijuana, narcotics, or other psychoactive substances in the State of Idaho."

• A YES vote "supports this constitutional amendment to provide that only the Idaho State Legislature shall have the authority to legalize marijuana, narcotics, or other psychoactive substances; and remove the ability for citizens to initiate state statutes that would legalize these substances."
• A NO vote "opposes this constitutional amendment, thereby retaining the ability for citizens to initiate state statutes that would legalize or decriminalize marijuana, narcotics, or other psychoactive substances."

House Joint Resolution 6 would amend the Idaho Constitution to "designate English as the official state language." Under it, official proceedings of state and local governments, including city council meetings and jury trials, would be conducted in English, public-school instruction would be in English, and government documents would be published in English, except where federal law requires another language.

• A YES vote "supports adding a provision to the Idaho Constitution that designates English as the state's official language."
• A NO vote "opposes adding a provision to the Idaho Constitution that designates English as the state's official language, maintaining English as the state's official language in state statute only."

Proposition 1, the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act, is a citizen initiative that would change state law. Its ballot title reads: "Measure creating right to abortion before fetus viability, and post-viability to protect health; right to privacy; healthcare provider liability protections." The state's fiscal impact statement estimates it would increase state spending by $3,100 to $7,800 a year. The ballot's YES and NO statements:

• A YES vote "would support creating a right to abortion before fetal viability," which the ballot defines as "a fetus' ability to survive without extraordinary medical measures," and "after fetal viability in cases of medical emergency; providing protections against professional discipline and civil and criminal liability for healthcare providers; and codifying a statutory reproductive right to freedom and privacy."
• A NO vote "would support making no change to Idaho's current law, which preserves the life of preborn children by prohibiting abortion, except when necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman, and during the first trimester in documented cases of rape or incest reported to law enforcement."

Idaho Advisory Question. "Which of the following guns should be designated as the state gun of Idaho? Please choose only one answer." The six choices are the Winchester Model 1894 (.30-30); the Winchester Model 1873 "Gun that Won the West" (.44-40); the 1873 Colt Single Action Army Revolver "Peacemaker" (.45 Colt); the M1 Garand rifle (.30-06); the Colt M1911 .45 automatic Colt pistol (.45 ACP); and the Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle (.30-06). The Secretary of State's voter pamphlet calls it "a non-binding measure"; the Legislature would have to act in a later session to name a state gun.

Teton School District 401 supplemental levy. The district asks voters to approve $7,090,000 a year for two years, from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2029: $6,790,000 for salaries and benefits, $50,000 for curriculum, and $250,000 for initiatives and programs. The ballot estimates the cost at $103 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value a year. It replaces a levy that expires June 30, 2027, and costs $72 per $100,000, an increase of $31 per $100,000. Voters choose "in favor of" or "against" authorizing the levy. More on the request is in Teton 401's $7.09 million levy request.

How to vote

Polls are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Teton County's seven precincts vote at three LDS church gyms, according to the county:

• Tetonia, 6181 S. Main St.: Precinct 1 (north end of the valley)
• Driggs, 225 N. First St.: Precincts 2 (west central valley), 3 (northeast central valley), 4 (Driggs) and 5 (southeast central valley)
• Victor, 87 E. Center St.: Precincts 6 (Victor) and 7 (south end of the valley)

Voters unsure of their precinct can look it up with the Secretary of State's where-do-I-vote tool.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail passed Oct. 23. Absentee ballots must reach the elections office, Room 208 of the Teton County Courthouse, 150 Courthouse Drive, Driggs, by 8 p.m. Nov. 3; the county says "Postmarks are not applicable."

Idaho allows registration at the polls on Election Day with a photo ID and proof of residence, according to voteidaho.gov. Voters must show a photo ID or sign an affidavit attesting to their identity. Accepted IDs are an Idaho driver's license or ID card, a current U.S. passport or federal photo ID, a tribal ID, or an Idaho concealed weapons license.

A write-in vote counts in Idaho only if the candidate filed a declaration of intent before this year's primary, under Idaho Code 34-702A.

Questions this Teton County voter guide doesn't answer go to the county elections office, 208-776-8111.