Idaho House Passes Bill to Restore Presidential Primary Elections

The bill would bring back the state's presidential primary elections in March after a 2024 switch to a caucus system.

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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The Idaho House passed a bill that would restore the state's presidential primary elections in March, after the legislature had seemingly unintentionally eliminated the presidential primary election through a 2023 bill, leading to a poorly attended 2024 GOP presidential caucus. The new bill would require presidential candidates to pay a $50,000 fee to appear on the ballot.

Why it matters

The return to a presidential primary election is seen as a way to increase voter participation in the presidential nomination process in Idaho, after the 2024 caucus system saw very low turnout. The bill is one of two competing measures to restore presidential primaries in the state.

The details

House Bill 638 passed the Idaho House in a 45-23 vote, and now heads to the Senate. The bill would bring back the state's presidential primary elections in March, after Idaho switched to a caucus system in 2024. That 2024 GOP caucus only saw about 7% of registered Republicans turn out for in-person voting. The new bill would also require presidential candidates to pay a $50,000 fee to appear on Idaho's primary ballots, to help offset the state's estimated $2.5 million cost to run the election.

  • In 2024, Idaho switched its process for voters to select presidential party nominees to a caucus system.
  • On Monday, the Idaho House passed House Bill 638 in a 45-23 vote.

The players

House Bill 638

A bill passed by the Idaho House that would restore the state's presidential primary elections in March.

Rep. Kyle Harris

The Republican sponsor of House Bill 638, who told House lawmakers the bill seeks to 'bring it back exactly how it was before we lost it, puts it back in March'.

Senate Bill 1366

A competing bill that would have Idaho hold presidential primary elections in May, which was introduced last week in the Senate State Affairs Committee but has not yet received a committee hearing.

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What they’re saying

“'This bill seeks to bring it back exactly how it was before we lost it, puts it back in March.'”

— Rep. Kyle Harris, Bill Sponsor (Idaho Capital Sun)

What’s next

House Bill 638 now heads to the Idaho Senate, where it could receive a committee hearing. To become law, the bill must pass the Senate and avoid a veto from the governor.

The takeaway

The return to a presidential primary election in Idaho is seen as a way to increase voter participation in the presidential nomination process, after the 2024 caucus system saw very low turnout. The passage of House Bill 638 in the Idaho House is one step in restoring the state's presidential primary, though it faces further legislative hurdles before becoming law.