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Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho Regulates Paid Canvassers and Initiative Petition Gatherers with Disclosure Rules and Badges
Last action · April 1, 2026: Reported Printed; referred to State Affairs
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What This Bill Proposed
Paid in-person canvassers and petition gatherers in Idaho must now be state residents, disclose their paid status and payors verbally and in writing, and wear visible identification badges stating they are paid advocates. The measure also voids petitions gathered by non-residents or without required disclosures, and establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations.
Paid political workers and ballot initiative circulators face new identification and disclosure requirements under penalty of civil fines up to $2,500 or misdemeanor imprisonment, while initiative petitions collected in violation of these rules become completely void.
- Idaho law governs initiative and referendum petitions to ensure that signature gatherers meet state residency qualifications and follow verification procedures. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Paid in-person canvassers
Paid canvassers must meet Idaho residency requirements, make verbal disclosures, and wear identifying badges while working.
Petition circulators
Petition circulators must verify residency, use specific affidavit forms, and include written payor disclosures on petition sheets.
Idaho voters
Voters are entitled to verbal and visual disclosures when interacting with paid political canvassers and petition gatherers.
Key Facts
- Paid circulators of initiative or referendum petitions must verbally notify potential signatories that they are paid and provide the name of the payor before collecting a signature.
- Petition pages must include a prominent printed declaration stating the circulator is receiving payment and naming the payor.
- Paid petition circulators and paid in-person canvassers must wear a clearly visible badge stating 'paid petition circulator' or 'paid political advocate' along with the payor's name.
- Paid canvassers and petition circulators must be residents of the state of Idaho and at least eighteen years of age.
Show all 10 facts
- Any initiative or referendum petition circulated in violation of the paid disclosure provisions is void.
- Electronic or non-physical signatures on initiative or referendum petitions are void.
- Individuals whose paid canvassing activities are incidental to broader campaign employment, volunteers, phone bankers, and candidates campaigning for themselves are exempt from the paid canvasser disclosure rules.
- Violations of the new canvassing and petition laws carry a civil fine of up to $250 for individuals and up to $2,500 for entities other than individuals.
- Knowing and willful violations of these provisions constitute a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months imprisonment, fines, or both.
- Prosecution for violations must be commenced within two years of the date the violation occurred.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who must wear a badge while conducting political outreach in Idaho?
What happens if a petition is circulated by someone who does not live in Idaho?
Are volunteers and candidates exempt from these new rules?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Apr 1, 2026CommitteeReported Printed; referred to State Affairs
- Mar 31, 2026IntroducedIntroduced; read first time; referred to JR for Printing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expanded Disclosure Mandates for Paid Political Workers
The bill bridges election petition rules and general political canvassing by applying unified badge and verbal disclosure requirements to both activities.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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