Idaho Bill Would Require 10 More Cities to Elect Council by District

The proposed legislation would mandate district-based city council elections for municipalities with populations over 25,000.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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A new bill in the Idaho legislature would require 10 additional cities in the state to elect their city council members by district rather than at-large. The bill, if passed, would affect cities with populations of at least 25,000 residents, including Caldwell, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, and others. Currently, local officials in these cities can choose to create council districts, but the new law would make it mandatory.

Why it matters

The proposed change is aimed at ensuring more localized representation on city councils, with the goal of preventing all council members from living in the same neighborhood or part of a city. However, some legislators and groups have expressed concerns about the potential difficulties in implementing district-based elections, especially in cities with large student populations.

The details

House Bill 720 would require cities with populations over 25,000 to divide themselves into districts and elect council members from those districts, rather than allowing at-large elections where all voters can vote for all council seats. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Joe Alfieri, says this will provide more local representation, as voters would only be able to vote for council members in their own district.

  • The bill is currently advancing to the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives for a vote.
  • If passed by the House, the bill would then move to the Idaho Senate for consideration.

The players

Rep. Joe Alfieri

The Republican representative from Coeur d'Alene who is the sponsor of House Bill 720.

Association of Idaho Cities

The organization that opposed the bill, citing concerns about the difficulty of recruiting candidates for smaller district-based council seats.

Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen

The Republican representative from Idaho Falls who expressed worries about the bill's impact on cities with large student populations, like Rexburg.

Rep. Erin Bingham

The Republican representative from Idaho Falls who raised concerns about the potential high cost for cities to go through the redistricting process required by the bill.

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What they’re saying

“If you've got a problem you want to talk to the city about, (and) your council members are at-large, you don't know who to talk to. You don't actually have local representation.”

— Rep. Joe Alfieri (idahocapitalsun.com)

“Lowering the population threshold to 25,000 people could make it extremely difficult to recruit candidates to run for office because each district could have a population of less than 5,000 people if there are six districts.”

— Jonathan Wheatley, Deputy Director, Association of Idaho Cities (idahocapitalsun.com)

What’s next

If the Idaho House votes to pass House Bill 720, it would then be sent to the Idaho Senate, where the process would start over with a new public hearing in a committee.

The takeaway

This proposed legislation highlights the ongoing debate around how to best ensure local representation on city councils, balancing the desire for more localized decision-making with practical concerns about implementation and costs. The outcome could set an important precedent for other states considering similar district-based election reforms.