BOISE, Idaho — In seven days, voters across Idaho will weigh in on local issues that could have a big impact on the community.
To make a difference though, voters have to actually vote.
So, how does voter turnout in Idaho’s capital city look like in recent "off year" elections?
A report published by The Boise Commons shows that in the last "off year" election in 2017, some parts of Boise had a much higher turnout than others.
First, The Boise Commons is a nonprofit group that says they are a nonpartisan catalyst for civic participation.
Their map from 2017 shows large spots of north and east Boise that had a much higher voter turnout.
The highest level of voter turnout, which was about 40 percent, is all clustered together.
Meanwhile, light areas saw turnout around 10 percent or less, and many of those areas are also geographically clustered.
The author of the report, Matthew Shapiro, says in part that the disparity showed fairly strong correlation with political preference, and some correlation with income, particularly per-capita income.
As voters head into next Tuesday, Shapiro says voter turnout data is important to keep in mind.
"If you care about and voting and civic participation, neighborhood leaders, city leaders, then this is something you may want to take a look at as a leader and find out why people in one part of the city are voting less in local elections than other parts of the city, and perhaps address that," said Shapiro.
If you haven’t registered to vote in Idaho, you still have time.
The State of Idaho has these requirements to register:
A registered voter must either present a photo ID or sign a personal identification affidavit.
Forms of photo identification may be any one of the following:
• An Idaho driver’s license or Idaho photo identification card.
• A U.S. passport or federal photo identification card.
• A tribal photo identification card.
• A current student photo ID, issued by an Idaho high school or post-secondary education institution.
• A license to carry a concealed weapon issued by a county sheriff in Idaho.
If a voter does not have an Idaho driver’s license, they can use an Idaho photo identification card issued by the department of transportation to vote.
• Check the department of transportation website for locations and documents you may need.
If a voter is not able to show an acceptable ID, the voter will be given the option to sign the personal identification affidavit.
• On the affidavit, the voter swears to his/her identity under penalty of perjury, a felony under Idaho code § 34-1114.
• After signing the affidavit, the voter will be issued a ballot to be tabulated with all other ballots.
For a full look at election items across the state, check out our KTVB Voter Guide.