Idaho Legislature: Ask Legislators to VOTE NO on H0393 - Candidate filing fees (posted 03/12/25)

• Bill: legislature.idaho.gov/s…

• Contact Legislators (linked below):

(Check the linked page or use My Bill Tracker for the bill’s current status.)

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H0393 is a blatant attempt to discourage candidates from running for office, to ensure that only better financed – not necessarily better – candidates can run, to reduce competition, and to put excess collections beyond what’s needed for administrative expenses into the general fund or county treasury.

Stifling competition in politics is exactly the opposite of what free Americans should be doing (sadly, we expect competition squashing in banana republics and increasingly in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.). Raising fees well beyond the needs to process candidate filings is another step toward destroying free and fair elections. Let’s not do this, please!

From H0393 statement of purpose:

“This legislation addresses filing fees or signatures required to run for public office. In the past few years, there have been instances of people filing to run for office to game the system pushing out competition. Raising the filing fees ensures that real candidates file to run for political office. This bill allows for a fee or signatures to run for office.” [NOTE: The bill itself does not mention signatures.]

H0393 significantly increases filing fees for most positions, as follows:

• US Senator, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General: Increases from $200-$500 to $1,000. [NOTE: No mention of Governor.]

• U.S. Congressional Representatives: Increases from $300 to $500.

• State representatives and senators: From $30 to $250.

• County commissioners, sheriffs, clerks, treasurers, assessors, coroners, and prosecuting attorneys: From $40 to $100.

• Additional revenue will be deposited into either the general fund or county treasury.