REXBURG — Hundreds of Brigham Young University-Idaho students were turned away from the polls Tuesday under a law passed by the Idaho Legislature last year, Madison County officials said.

Idaho lawmakers passed House Bill 340 in 2023 and House Bill 124, which took effect in January. These laws require voters to present an Idaho driver's license, passport, firearm permit, tribal ID card or federal photo ID at the polls. Additionally, student ID cards were eliminated as a valid form of identification at the polls. Before the law change, voters could also register to vote with a foreign driver's license and proof of local residency.

According to BYU-Idaho officials, an extremely large percentage of Rexburg's population – over 24,000 students – is currently enrolled on campus. Many of them felt taken by surprise by the election.

Aubrey Slade is one of those students, although she tried to do her research before the election.

“My problem was really just that I looked and found a lot of sources that said students could use their student ID,” Slade said. “But I guess Idaho passed a rule this year, you have to have an Idaho license or a federal license, which sucks.”

When Slade went to vote, she brought a North Dakota driver's license, proof of residency and a student ID. The poll workers turned them away.

“I was pretty depressed. “This was the first presidential election I was able to vote in and I was really looking forward to it,” Slade said.

Madison County Clerk Kim Muir says they have been trying to get the word out about the new requirements. They have been on the BYU-Idaho campus and attended several events with booths explaining the law.

“It's frustrating when they get mad at us even though we've tried to do as much as we can to get this out there,” Muir said. “If they can monitor election laws and review them months before the election rather than waiting until the last day, a lot can be done.”

Muir also points out that people without an Idaho driver's license could have applied for an absentee ballot in their home state.

Despite the new requirements, some students may have slipped through the cracks. Kenzie Clark voted after presenting a Utah driver's license and her rental agreement. She was allowed to choose. When EastIdahoNews.com asked her about it, she was surprised to learn of the change in requirements.

“I was completely unaware of this change in the law,” Clark said. “They said, 'Okay, you're good,' and then I could choose.”

Muir says that shouldn't have happened.

“We had 160 poll workers working for us. We spent a whole week training them and going through every point,” Muir said. “Our poll workers work long hours and are very well trained, but sometimes they make mistakes. Your time is greatly appreciated.”

There are some exceptions to the new requirements. Student Rachel Wilcox voted even though she had a Georgia driver's license.

Wilcox has lived in Rexburg since 2020 and voted in the 2022 election. When she went to the Madison County Clerk's Office without an Idaho license or passport, they gave her an affidavit to sign. This allows qualified voters to vote if they do not have an acceptable photo ID. This applies to voters who are already registered in the county's system and is typically used for voters who forgot to bring their driver's license.

Some voters may be required to sign an affidavit if they registered to vote with a foreign license before the requirements change. The voter's address must match the address previously used. New voters cannot sign a personal identification affidavit.

While many BYU-Idaho students were disappointed with their voting experience, the staff of the Madison County Clerk's Office took an oath to uphold Idaho state law and are committed to fulfilling it.

“We did our best to help everyone who wanted to vote, and frankly we feel sorry for those we couldn't help who really wanted to vote because we know voting is important,” said Brenda Stoor of Madison County Returning Officer.