BOISE — More than 110,000 petition signatures seeking to restore abortion access in Idaho were turned in this week, and campaign figures show the backing comes from across the political spectrum — even in one of the country’s most reliably Republican states.
The group leading the push to place the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act on the November ballot delivered stacks of petitions to the Idaho Secretary of State’s office. The petitions now sit in the office while officials complete the formal verification process.
Support crosses party lines
Campaign data released by the organizers say about 28% of the more than 110,000 signers are registered Republicans. The rest of the reported breakdown includes roughly 33% unaffiliated voters, about 37% Democrats and nearly 1% Libertarians. Those figures could shift once the Secretary of State certifies the petitions.
| Party affiliation | Share of signers (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Republican | 28% |
| Unaffiliated | 33% |
| Democrat | 37% |
| Libertarian | 1% |
Under Idaho law, citizens can propose statutes to appear on the ballot; the state does not allow citizen-initiated constitutional amendments. If the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act reaches the ballot and wins, it would restore abortion access "without government interference" until fetal viability and would protect fertility treatments and other reproductive care, including contraception, according to campaign descriptions. Passage would require a simple majority of votes.
Voices from the ground
Volunteers who gathered signatures reported conversations across ideological lines. Suzanne Gallus, a Catholic mother who spent months collecting signatures in north Idaho, said many people told personal stories that shaped their decision to sign.
“People were always very open with a lot of their stories, and their stories may have not even been about them,”
Gallus told Stateline that stories ranged from adoption and infertility to tales about relatives — not all were directly about abortion.
What’s next
The petition boxes are now awaiting the secretary of state’s verification. Campaign officials and legal observers will monitor the certification process closely; once verified, the measure would appear on the November ballot, joining at least two other abortion-related measures expected in Western states this year.
- Petitions submitted: 110,000+ (campaign figure)
- Reported Republican signers: 28%
- Measure status: awaiting official certification
The petition drive reflects broader trends in several states where abortion policy has animated voters beyond traditional party boundaries. In Idaho, where President Donald Trump carried the state by a large margin in 2024, the reported cross-party support underscores how reproductive issues are influencing voters and could shape turnout and campaigning ahead of November.
Local election officials will provide final counts and certification timelines. Until then, the submitted petitions mark the start of what promises to be a closely watched ballot fight in Idaho this fall.
