House Bill 548 Summary

• Establishes that if a person claims a homestead exemption under Idaho Code section 63-602G, that homestead shall be their voting residence, regardless of other residency factors.

• Authorizes the Secretary of State or county clerks to investigate candidate legal qualifications upon request by a registered voter, with investigations to begin no earlier than 14 days after the candidacy filing deadline.

• Requires candidates to provide a sworn verification of legal qualifications for office and disclose whether they have claimed a homestead exemption and the address of any claimed homestead on their declaration of candidacy form.

• Mandates the state tax commission establish a searchable database by July 1, 2023 of all active homestead exemptions organized by person name and homestead address to verify no person claims multiple exemptions and to confirm voting residence matches claimed homestead.

• Requires the state tax commission to disclose information about improper homestead exemption claims to county officials and the Secretary of State for purposes of determining voting residence, effective immediately upon passage.