Elections

Election Day is always the first Tuesday in November. General Election – 2023

For questions regarding registering to vote, qualifications, where to, change of address or name, or you want to help others vote, go to Online Voter Registration

Absentee ballots are available through the Elmore County elections office

Anyone who needs to register to vote as a new voter, or to change your name or address must appear in person at the Courthouse to register and absentee vote or appear in person at your polling place on Election Day. You will need photo identification and proof of residence. Visit Website

As previously stated above the Elected offices available in 2021 are 2 council seats (both four year terms). The additional two council seats and the seat for Mayor will stand for election again in 2023.

Create Campaign Finance Account - User Guide

Mayor and Council-members are required to attend regular meetings of the City Council on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, starting at 6:00 p.m. Issues can be complex and range from wastewater, water, streets, and public safety, to planning and zoning issues like plat approval and street vacations, to issues of personnel and the review and passage of resolutions and ordinances. Council agendas and information packets are prepared by the City Clerk the Friday before each Council meeting. During some months, there are special meetings or work sessions which you will also be required to attend. Budget preparation can entail several special meetings, beginning in March of each year and completing in July. The City fiscal year runs from October 1st through September 30th of each year. Council-members are also appointed by the Mayor to serve as liaisons to different advisory boards or committees in the community, such as the Parks & Recreation Board; DIGIT; Library Board; Airport Board; Traffic Safety Board; Historical Museum; and Arts Council. These boards meet on set days each month and it is compulsory for Council liaisons to attend these board meetings. In addition they may also be assigned as a liaison to a City department not covered by a board, such as City Hall, Public Works, Fire Department; and Police Department.

Candidates for elective city offices are nominated by declaration.  A Declaration of Candidacy must be completed and returned to the City Clerk along with (1) a Petition of Candidacy signed by not less than five (5) registered qualified electors; or (2) a nonrefundable filing fee of forty dollars ($40.00).

A candidate must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. Citizen, and, have resided in the City for at least thirty (30) days at the time of filing of his/her declaration as a renter or property owner.  (It is not enough to simply own property in the City – you must actually have your primary residence there, which is based upon where you file your Homeowners Exemption.) If you question whether or not your home address meets the residency requirement, a map of the boundaries of the city limits is available for review at City Hall.

If a candidate elects to pay the forty dollar ($40.00) filing fee rather than obtain signatures, he/she must complete the Declaration of Candidacy and present that to the City Clerk along with the fee for verification and filing.  A non-negotiable or returned check will invalidate a filing. All Declarations of Candidacy and Petitions of Candidacy must be notarized by a Notary Public duly recognized by the State of Idaho.  The City Clerk is a notary public and can notarize for you if you wish. Candidates choosing to gather petition signatures should be aware that signature gatherers are now required to certify that they are at least 18 years old, reside in Idaho, that every person signing the petition signed in their presence and that they believe that the signatories have correctly stated their names, residence addresses and qualifications and Candidates must also comply with the verification procedures as listed above.

If a candidate elects to circulate a Petition of Candidacy, it must be signed by not less than five (5) registered qualified electors and must designate the office for which you intend to run.  (A qualified elector is someone who is at least 18 years of age, a U.S. Citizen, has lived in the City for at least thirty (30) days and is registered to vote in the City of Mountain Home.) Once the appropriate number of signatures has been obtained on the Petition, the candidate must present the Petition to the City Clerk for address verification.  The City Clerk will verify that all addresses listed on the Petition are within the City Limits and attach a verification form to your petition.  Once the City Clerk has verified the addresses, the candidate must present their Petition with the address verification form to the Elmore County Election Office located in the Courthouse (150 South 4^th East, Suite #3; telephone 208-587-2130 ext. 206) and request certification of the signatures on the Petition.  The County Election Clerk will attach a certificate of authenticity to the Petition, verifying that all electors who signed your Petition are qualified.  The Petition (with County Election Clerk certification attached), along with your Declaration of Candidacy must then be returned to the City Clerk for final verification and filing (all steps, including all verifications, must be accomplished prior to the close of filing at 5:00 p.m., on a date to be determined in 2019, if you choose to file a Petition of Candidacy).

Declarations of Candidacy for elective city offices, along with the appropriate fee or Petition with verifications, may be filed with the City Clerk of Mountain Home starting at 8:00 a.m. on August 28, 2023, and must be filed no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 8, 2023, normal business hours.  Feel free to call 587-2104 with questions.

Follow all laws of the State of Idaho.  (The state code section pertaining to cities is Title 50); Understand and obey Ethics laws, Open meeting laws and Public Records laws; (The State Attorney General’s office offers small manuals in booklet form covering all these provisions of the state code); Disclose any potential conflict of interest prior to voting.

The Mayor is considered a full-time employee of the City for his/her elected term and will be expected to keep and maintain regular work hours with reasonably scheduled hours at the City Offices.  The Council are considered part-time employees of the City and qualify for benefits, but not vacation or sick leave.  All elected positions are exempt from overtime pay, including compensatory time.

The Mayor’s salary is $5,000.00 per month, by ordinance, plus benefits; Council member Salary is $850.00 per month, also by ordinance, plus benefits.  Benefit packages for insurance are available to Council-members, including health, dental, vision, and PERSI retirement.  The Mayor qualifies for all City benefits, including health, dental, vision, and PERSI retirement, sick leave and shall have fifteen (15) working days paid vacation leave time per year during his/her term of office.

Idaho Open Meeting Law Manual

Ethics in Government