JURIES – Amends existing law to allow prospective jurors in certain circumstances to volunteer as poll workers in lieu of serving on a jury.

LEGISLATURE
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IDAHO
Sixty-eighth
Legislature
Second
Regular
Session
-
2026
IN
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE
BILL
NO.
560
BY
STATE
AFFAIRS
COMMITTEE
AN
ACT
1
RELATING
TO
JURIES;
AMENDING
SECTION
2
-
211,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
PROVIDE
AN
EXEMP
-
2
TION
TO
JURY
SERVICE;
AMENDING
SECTION
2
-
212,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
PROVIDE
FOR
3
VOLUNTEER
ELECTION
SERVICE
IN
LIEU
OF
JURY
SERVICE
AND
TO
MAKE
A
TECHNI
-
4
CAL
CORRECTION;
AMENDING
SECTION
34
-
303,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
PROVIDE
AN
EX
-
5
CEPTION
TO
CERTAIN
COMPENSATION
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
ELECTION
PERSONNEL;
6
AND
DECLARING
AN
EMERGENCY
AND
PROVIDING
AN
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
7
Be
It
Enacted
by
the
Legislature
of
the
State
of
Idaho:
8
SECTION
1.
That
Section
2
-
211,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
hereby
9
amended
to
read
as
follows:
10
2
-
211.
NO
EXEMPTIONS.
No
exemptions
for
any
qualified
prospective
ju
-
1
1
ror
may
be
granted
,
except
as
provided
in
section
2
-
212(4),
Idaho
Code
.
12
SECTION
2.
That
Section
2
-
212,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
hereby
13
amended
to
read
as
follows:
14
2
-
212.
EXCUSING
OR
POSTPONING
JURY
SERVICE
-
-
INQUIRY
BY
COURT
-
-
15
GROUNDS
FOR
EXCUSING
OR
POSTPONING
-
-
VOLUNTEER
ELECTION
SERVICE
IN
LIEU
OF
16
JURY
SERVICE
.
(1)
The
court,
or
a
member
of
the
jury
commission
designated
17
by
the
court,
upon
request
of
a
prospective
juror
or
on
its
own
initiative,
18
shall
determine
on
the
basis
of
information
provided
on
the
qualification
19
questionnaire
form
or
interview
with
the
prospective
juror
or
other
com
-
20
petent
evidence
whether
the
prospective
juror
should
be
excused
from
jury
21
service
or
have
their
jury
service
postponed.
The
clerk
or
the
jury
commis
-
22
sioner
shall
keep
a
record
of
this
determination.
23
(2)
A
person
who
is
seventy
(70)
years
of
age
or
older
shall
be
perma
-
24
nently
excused
if
the
person
indicates
on
the
qualification
questionnaire
25
form
that
he
or
she
wishes
to
be
excused.
A
person
who
requests
to
be
ex
-
26
cused
on
this
basis
shall
be
reinstated
to
the
county
jury
list
by
submitting
27
a
written
request
asking
to
be
reinstated
for
jury
service.
28
(3)
A
person
who
is
not
disqualified
for
jury
service
under
section
29
2
-
209,
Idaho
Code,
may
have
jury
service
postponed
by
the
court
or
the
jury
30
commissioner
only
upon
a
showing
of
undue
hardship,
extreme
inconvenience,
31
or
public
necessity,
or
upon
a
showing
that
the
juror
is
a
mother
breastfeed
-
32
ing
her
child.
33
(a)
Any
person
requesting
a
postponement
shall
provide
a
written
state
-
34
ment
setting
forth
the
reason
for
the
request
and
the
anticipated
date
35
that
the
reason
will
no
longer
exist.
36
(b)
The
court
or
the
jury
commissioner
may
require
a
person
requesting
a
37
postponement
for
any
medical
reason
to
provide
a
statement
from
a
medi
-
38
cal
provider
supporting
the
request.
39

2
(c)
The
postponement,
if
granted,
shall
be
for
a
period
of
time
as
the
1
court
or
the
jury
commissioner
deems
necessary,
at
the
conclusion
of
2
which
the
person
shall
reappear
for
jury
service
in
accordance
with
the
3
direction
of
the
court
or
the
jury
commissioner.
4
(4)(a)
If
the
county
clerk
determines
that
there
is
a
shortage
of
elec
-
5
tion
personnel
necessary
to
facilitate
the
operations
of
an
upcoming
6
county
-
run
election,
the
county
clerk
may
submit
a
request
to
the
jury
7
commission
and
the
court
to
offer
prospective
jurors
who
request
to
be
8
excused
from
jury
service,
or
for
a
postponement
of
jury
service,
pur
-
9
suant
to
subsections
(2)
and
(3)
of
this
section,
the
opportunity
to
10
volunteer
for
election
service
as
poll
workers
in
the
next
county
-
run
1
1
election
in
lieu
of
jury
service.
The
county
clerk's
request
shall
12
specify
the
number
of
volunteer
positions
required,
as
well
as
the
dates
13
and
times
when
such
volunteers
will
need
to
be
available.
14
(b)
If
a
request
is
made
by
a
county
clerk
pursuant
to
paragraph
(a)
15
of
this
subsection,
the
court
may
offer
to
prospective
jurors
who
16
have
grounds
to
be
excused
from
jury
service
or
to
have
jury
service
17
postponed
the
opportunity
to
serve
as
volunteer
poll
workers
in
accor
-
18
dance
with
the
county
clerk's
specified
needs.
The
volunteer
election
19
service
in
lieu
of
jury
service
provided
in
this
subsection
shall
be
20
granted
only
for
the
number
of
positions
requested
by
the
county
clerk
21
and
at
the
discretion
of
the
court.
22
(c)
If
a
prospective
juror
accepts
the
volunteer
election
service
op
-
23
portunity
pursuant
to
this
subsection
and
completes
such
service
in
a
24
manner
acceptable
to
the
county
clerk,
the
prospective
juror
shall
be
25
excused
from
jury
service
for
the
next
two
(2)
years.
The
county
clerk
26
shall
furnish
to
the
jury
commission
the
names
of
each
prospective
ju
-
27
ror
who
accepted
the
election
service
in
lieu
of
jury
service
provided
28
in
this
subsection
and
shall
indicate
whether
such
prospective
juror
29
completed
the
election
service.
A
prospective
juror
who
accepts
the
30
election
service
pursuant
to
this
subsection,
but
fails
to
complete
the
31
election
service
shall
be
reinstated
to
the
county
jury
list.
32
SECTION
3.
That
Section
34
-
303,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
hereby
33
amended
to
read
as
follows:
34
34
-
303.
APPOINTMENT
OF
ELECTION
JUDGES
BY
COUNTY
CLERK.
(1)
The
35
county
clerk
shall
appoint
two
(2)
or
more
election
judges,
one
(1)
of
whom
36
shall
be
designated
chief
judge,
and
the
number
of
clerks
deemed
necessary
by
37
him
for
each
polling
place.
In
the
event
a
single
polling
place
is
designated
38
for
two
(2)
or
more
precincts,
an
individual
may
serve
simultaneously
on
the
39
election
board
for
two
(2)
or
more
precincts
thus
served
by
a
single
polling
40
place.
The
precinct
committeemen
shall
recommend
persons
for
the
position
41
in
their
respective
precincts
to
the
county
clerk
in
writing
by
the
fifth
42
Friday
prior
to
the
primary
election
and
the
county
clerk
shall
appoint
the
43
judges
from
such
lists
if
the
persons
recommended
are
qualified.
44
(2)
The
chief
election
judge
shall
be
responsible
for
the
conduct
of
the
45
proceedings
in
the
polling
place.
Compensation
for
all
election
personnel
46
shall
be
determined
by
the
board
of
county
commissioners
at
no
less
than
the
47
minimum
wage
as
prescribed
by
the
laws
of
the
state
of
Idaho
,
except
for
per
-
48

3
sonnel
volunteering
for
election
service
pursuant
to
section
2
-
212,
Idaho
1
Code
.
2
(3)
Each
election
board
shall
contain
personnel
representing
all
ex
-
3
isting
political
parties
if
a
list
of
applicants
has
been
provided
to
the
4
county
clerk
by
the
precinct
committeemen
of
the
precincts
by
the
prescribed
5
deadline.
6
(4)
In
order
to
provide
for
a
greater
awareness
of
the
election
process,
7
the
rights
and
responsibilities
of
voters
and
the
importance
of
participat
-
8
ing
in
the
electoral
process,
as
well
as
to
provide
additional
members
of
9
precinct
boards,
a
county
clerk
may
appoint
not
more
than
two
(2)
students
10
per
precinct
to
serve
under
the
direct
supervision
of
election
board
members
1
1
designated
by
the
county
clerk.
A
student
may
be
appointed,
notwithstanding
12
lack
of
eligibility
to
vote,
if
the
student
possesses
the
following
qualifi
-
13
cations:
14
(a)
Is
at
least
sixteen
(16)
years
of
age
at
the
time
of
the
election
for
15
which
he
or
she
is
serving
as
a
member
of
an
election
board;
and
16
(b)
Is
a
citizen
of
the
United
States.
17
SECTION
4.
An
emergency
existing
therefor,
which
emergency
is
hereby
18
declared
to
exist,
this
act
shall
be
in
full
force
and
effect
on
and
after
19
July
1,
2026.
20