STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
With Election Day coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 8, it’s sometimes been difficult to tell the election canvassers versus the trick-or-treaters.
About 52 adults and youth hit the streets in the Wood River Valley on Halloween weekend on behalf of Democrat candidates. They handed out treats to some 2,700 people who opened their doors in a reverse trick-or-treat, then they returned this Saturday for one last canvas—the snow and rain stopping just in time for the door knocking.
The canvassers donned a variety of costumes from a pickle to RBG, with Idaho Senate candidate Ron Taylor saying he was dressed “as your future.”
Canvassers were bent on preserving the district’s blue seats--what canvasser Rep. Illana Rubel called “the mothership of the Idaho Democratic Party.” Other canvassers included Sen. Michelle Stennett, the minority leader of the Idaho State Senate; Sen. Melissa Wintrow, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean, Rep. Sally Toone, former Rep. Donna Pence and Blaine County Commissioner Muffy Davis.
“The people of Idaho have been blessed in recent years with excellent Democratic legislators from District 26 who work hard, listen to constituents, and are committed to supporting public education, access to public lands and health care, and protecting personal liberties from an overreaching legislature,” Rubel praised retiring Sen. Stennett and Reps. Toone and Ned Burns.
About 30 Republicans, meanwhile, turned out the Saturday of Halloween weekend. They knocked on more than 600 doors and hit more than 1,200 voters, said Senate candidate Laurie Lickley. The canvassers included Gov. Brad Little, she added.
As Election Day neared, Tom Arkoosh, a fourth-generation Idahoan who grew up in Gooding, made one last stop in the Wood River Valley, asking voters to back him for Idaho Attorney General.
“We need an attorney that will follow the law and tell legislators what they need to hear, not what they want to hear,” said Arkoosh, a lawyer who has been involved in such issues as water rights.
On Tuesday voters will be asked to choose between six local candidates:
Ron Taylor (D) vs. Laurie Lickley (R ) for Idaho Senate District 26
Ned Burns (D) vs. Mike Pohanka (R) for Idaho House Seat A
Karma Metzler Fitzgerald (D) vs. Jack Nelsen for Idaho House Seat B
(To learn about the candidates, see Eye on Sun Valley’s political profiles during the past week.)
Also on the ballot:
The Idaho Advisory Question asking voters whether they approve or disapprove of the actions taken during a special session held last fall. The Advisory Question is non-binding.
Idaho Constitutional Amendment, SJR 102 which would allow the Legislature to call itself into special session with the approval of 60 percent of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Currently, it’s up to the governor to call the legislature back into session.
Ketchum voters are being asked to approve a revenue bond of up to $14 million to fund upgrades to the city’s 54-year-old wastewater treatment plant.
The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8.
BLAINE COUNTY POLLING PLACES:
North Blaine County—The Community Library in Ketchum
Sun Valley—Sun Valley City Hall
North and South Ketchum—The Community Library
Quigley, Deer Creek Northwest Hailey, Northeast Hailey, Southwest Hailey, Northwest Woodside and Southeast Woodside—Community Campus in Hailey
Poverty Flat and Bellevue—Bellevue Elementary School
Carey—Carey School
Gannett/Picabo—Bellevue elementary School.
Voters must present a photo ID or sign a Personal Identification Affidavit. Acceptable forms of identification include a driver’s license, an Idaho Concealed Weapons Permit, U.S. passport and current student photo ID issued by an Idaho high school or post-secondary education institution.