Idahoans left polls in the Treasure Valley on Tuesday after their decisions were made and their ballots cast.
All that was left to do was wait and see what the rest of the country would conclude about the 2024 presidential race, which was expected to be close and possibly not even decided on Election Day itself.
There is no suspense over whether Republican Donald Trump or Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris will win Idaho’s four electoral votes — the state last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 1964, when Lyndon Johnson won. But the outcome in the state could indicate whether Trump’s status as a convicted felon or the continued attacks on U.S. elections and the justice system would make any difference to voters.
People who spoke to the Idaho Statesman cited reasons that included the economy, health care and morality when it came to casting their ballots.
Abortion rights leading issue for many Harris voters
Gabrielle Navarro, 33, emerged from Boise’s Dick Eardley Senior Center early Tuesday morning proudly wearing her “I Voted” sticker on her shirt.
Navarro said she has experienced personal struggles with reproductive health and fears what might happen if she becomes pregnant under another Trump presidency. She said she hopes Harris will help “preserve the freedoms” around “reproductive justice.”
“As someone who needs this type of care if I become pregnant, I don’t feel safe here in Idaho,” Navarro said. “So she just felt like a better choice for someone like me and anyone with a uterus.”
Navarro wasn’t the only one to reason. The majority of those who voted for Harris and spoke to the Statesman outside Boise and Meridian polling places said abortion rights and women’s health care were their biggest motivators.
Three Supreme Court justices chosen by Donald Trump — tilting the Supreme Court far to the right — helped overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, giving states the ability to ban or restrict abortion, which most Republican-led states soon did. Idaho’s Republican Party-dominated legislature, made up of 74 men and 32 women, has passed some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.
The procedure is now legal only in cases of ectopic or molar pregnancy, reported cases of rape or incest, or when a pregnant patient’s life is at risk, although the laws are so unclear that some doctors worry about it even under those circumstances its implementation.
While Avery Iannone, 21, isn’t concerned about the issue for himself, he said he is for his two sisters. He voted for Harris.
“The fact that there are people who want to take away these rights, and that these women are at risk of this affecting their health, I don’t think is right,” Iannone said.
Christopher Bueno, 30, said one of the many reasons he decided to vote for Harris was the way Republicans talk about race.
“I’m a person of color, and for the most part it seems like the other side has some pretty drastic rhetoric against people like me,” Bueno said. ‘Voting for that would feel a bit like voting against my integrity.’
Debra Anderson, 69, said she has voted Republican in the past, but not for president this time. She said she “feels good” about her choice.
“I can vote for Republicans, but not for Trump,” Anderson said. “They need to choose better candidates and not focus sycophantically on one person.”
Trump voters concerned about economy and immigration
Those who filled in the bubble next to Trump’s name had their own reasons for doing so, although fewer Trump voters were willing to discuss their decision with the statesman.
Those who did all said they thought the country was better off during Trump’s presidency, which lasted from early 2017 to early 2021.
“His policy is clearer, more effective and works,” says Greg Allard (66). “He has a proven track record and that is why I voted for him.”
Allard said he most supports Trump’s policies on immigration and the border, calling the Biden administration’s handling of the issue “ridiculous.”
“Once you have an open border, you lose control of your country,” Allard said.
Congress had passed a bipartisan border deal earlier this year, which included more officers and improved security, and was supported by the Border Patrol Council. Trump allowed those loyal to him in Congress to thwart the bill.
Idaho leaders are in favor of dedicating more resources to border security. The state has spent $205,655 this year sending state police troops to the Texas-Mexico border, more than 1,000 miles away, and even Governor Brad Little has visited.
Kamillia Carlson, 31, said she went with Trump because she hoped he would make things more affordable. She said the rising costs of groceries and gas have hit her hard.
“The last time we voted for Trump, things were better than they are now,” Carlson said.
Glen Wallace, 69, cited concerns about inflation, which has fallen to 2.4% after peaking at 9.0% in 2022, and immigration.
“This country needs to be put on track,” Wallace said. “I want to see financial responsibility. So much money is wasted. I want the country to be run like a business.”
