Idaho voters to have 8 options for presidential candidates


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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho has swung for Republican presidential candidates for more than four decades, but voters will still have plenty of options for those who don't want to pick either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton come November.

In all, there will be eight candidates seeking the country's highest political office on the Idaho ballot. Those include Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson, known for his advocacy work to legalize marijuana, and Green Party nominee Jill Stein, a medical doctor who ran against Mitt Romney in the 2002 race for governor of Massachusetts.

Darrell Castle is the national Constitution Party's nominee, but he'll appear as an independent on the Idaho ballot. This year, Idaho's small Constitution Party selected Rev. Scott Copeland of Texas to be their nominee in this year's first-ever Constitution Party presidential primary for Idaho.

Evan McMullin of Provo, Utah, is also running as an independent after recently jumping into the race as an unaffiliated candidate. McMullin, a former CIA officer, is only on the ballot in a handful of states but argues he's running as an alternative for voters who can't back Clinton or Trump.

Lastly, Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente, a real estate developer, is an unaffiliated candidate on Idaho's ballot. In Florida, he's one of five candidates vying to become the Democratic nominee for U.S.

Unlike in other states, Idaho's laws are friendly to presidential candidates hoping to make the ballot. Unaffiliated candidates or members of unregistered political parties can qualify for the ballot with 1,000 voter signatures.

Meanwhile, candidates in other states can face much higher ballot hurdles. The signature requirement is as high as 25,000 in Illinois. Candidates must pay a $500 filing fee in Utah as well as turn in 1,000 voter signatures. Six states do not allow write-in candidates.

Idaho also counts the votes for write-in candidates as long as they file a declaration with the state's Secretary of State office by early October.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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