H0720 • 2026

MUNICIPALITIES – Amends existing law to provide that cities with 25,000 residents or less may provide for election of councilmen by districts and that cities with greater than 25,000 residents shall provide for the election of councilmen by districts.

Elections

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Last action: 2026-03-04
Official status: S St Aff
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

MUNICIPALITIES – Amends existing law to provide that cities with 25,000 residents or less may provide for election of councilmen by districts and that cities with greater than 25,000 residents shall provide for the election of councilmen by districts.

What This Bill Does

MUNICIPALITIES – Amends existing law to provide that cities with 25,000 residents or less may provide for election of councilmen by districts and that cities with greater than 25,000 residents shall provide for the election of councilmen by districts.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-03-04 Idaho State Legislature
Received from the House passed; filed for first reading
2026-03-04 Idaho State Legislature
Introduced, read first time; referred to: State Affairs
2026-03-03 Idaho State Legislature
Read Third Time in Full – PASSED - 55-13-2 AYES – Alfieri, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Berch, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cayler, Church, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Egbert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson, Gannon, Green, Hall(Stone), Handy, Harris, Hawkins, Haws(Woller), Healey, Hill(Brown), Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Marmon, Mathias, Mendive, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Nelsen, Palmer, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Price, Rasor, Redman, Rubel, Scott, Shepherd, Shirts, Skaug, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Wisniewski, Mr. Speaker NAYS – Bingham, Cheatum, Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Garner, Manwaring, Mickelsen, Raybould, Raymond, Sauter, Veile, Weber Absent – McCann, Wheeler Floor Sponsor - Alfieri Title apvd - to Senate
2026-03-02 Idaho State Legislature
U.C. to hold place on third reading calendar one legislative day
2026-02-27 Idaho State Legislature
Read second time; Filed for Third Reading
2026-02-26 Idaho State Legislature
Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading
2026-02-18 Idaho State Legislature
Reported Printed and Referred to State Affairs
2026-02-17 Idaho State Legislature
Introduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing

Official Summary Text

MUNICIPALITIES – Amends existing law to provide that cities with 25,000 residents or less may provide for election of councilmen by districts and that cities with greater than 25,000 residents shall provide for the election of councilmen by districts.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

LEGISLATURE
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IDAHO
Sixty-eighth
Legislature
Second
Regular
Session
-
2026
IN
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE
BILL
NO.
720
BY
STATE
AFFAIRS
COMMITTEE
AN
ACT
1
RELATING
TO
ELECTIONS;
AMENDING
SECTION
50
-
707A,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
REVISE
2
A
PROVISION
REGARDING
THE
ELECTION
OF
COUNCILMEN
BY
DISTRICTS;
AND
3
DECLARING
AN
EMERGENCY
AND
PROVIDING
AN
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
4
Be
It
Enacted
by
the
Legislature
of
the
State
of
Idaho:
5
SECTION
1.
That
Section
50
-
707A,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
hereby
6
amended
to
read
as
follows:
7
50
-
707A.
ELECTION
OF
COUNCILMEN
BY
DISTRICTS.
(1)
Any
city
having
8
fewer
than
one
hundred
thousand
(100,000)
twenty
-
five
thousand
(25,000)
9
inhabitants
based
upon
the
most
recent
federal
decennial
census
may,
by
or
-
10
dinance,
provide
for
districts
and
the
election
of
councilmen
by
districts.
1
1
Upon
the
adoption
of
such
an
ordinance
and
at
least
one
hundred
twenty
(120)
12
days
prior
to
each
general
election,
the
governing
body
of
the
city
shall
13
establish
the
territory
of
council
districts
in
accordance
with
this
sec
-
14
tion.
Any
city
having
more
than
one
hundred
thousand
(100,000)
twenty
-
five
15
thousand
(25,000)
inhabitants
based
upon
the
most
recent
federal
decennial
16
census
shall
establish
districts
and
shall
elect
councilmen
by
districts
17
for
districts
so
established.
Districts
shall
be
established
no
later
than
18
one
hundred
twenty
(120)
days
prior
to
the
general
election
following
the
19
date
that
election
precincts
are
established
pursuant
to
the
provisions
of
20
section
34
-
301,
Idaho
Code.
21
(2)
Each
district
shall
consist
of
one
(1)
or
more
contiguous
election
22
precincts
as
established
pursuant
to
the
provisions
of
chapter
3,
title
34,
23
Idaho
Code,
and
each
district
shall,
to
the
nearest
extent
possible,
contain
24
the
same
number
of
people
based
upon
the
most
recent
federal
decennial
cen
-
25
sus.
26
(3)
Each
city
establishing
districts
for
the
election
of
councilmen
by
27
districts
shall
establish
the
number
of
districts
corresponding
to
the
num
-
28
ber
of
council
seats
determined
by
the
city
pursuant
to
section
50
-
701,
Idaho
29
Code,
or
for
any
city
having
a
governing
body
governed
by
the
provisions
of
30
sections
50
-
801
through
50
-
812,
Idaho
Code,
the
number
of
council
seats
de
-
31
termined
by
the
city
pursuant
to
section
50
-
805,
Idaho
Code.
32
(4)
Upon
establishment
of
city
election
districts,
council
members
are
33
to
be
elected
by
the
electors
of
the
said
geographic
district,
and
any
can
-
34
didate
must
be
a
resident
of
said
geographic
district.
For
cities
with
fewer
35
than
one
hundred
thousand
(100,000)
twenty
-
five
thousand
(25,000)
inhabi
-
36
tants
that
establish
districts
by
ordinance,
the
council
shall
determine,
37
not
less
than
ninety
(90)
days
before
the
next
general
election,
the
method
38
of
the
implementation
of
this
ordinance.
39

2
SECTION
2.
An
emergency
existing
therefor,
which
emergency
is
hereby
1
declared
to
exist,
this
act
shall
be
in
full
force
and
effect
on
and
after
2
July
1,
2026.
3