The Idaho State Legislature voted on March 25, 2025, to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would make English the official language of the state. Voters will decide on the proposal at the general election on Nov. 3, 2026.

Idaho will be the 12th state to vote on such a ballot measure. Currently, English is the official language of Idaho, as set in Statutes Sec. 73-121. The ballot measure would add the designation to the Idaho Constitution. Like Idaho, Missouri first passed a legislative statute and later voted on a constitutional amendment ballot measure.

Of the 30 states that designated English as their official language, 11 (37%) did so through voter-approved ballot measures. Measures were approved in Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah, and twice in Arizona. The average vote on these measures was 73.1%, with support ranging from 50.5% to 88.5%. The trend emerged in the 1980s with California Proposition 63 and continued into the 2000s, with the most recent vote taking place in 2010 in Oklahoma.

In the Idaho State Legislature, the Senate voted 30-5 to pass the constitutional amendment, and the House voted 59-8. Legislative Republicans supported the amendment, along with two of 15 Democrats. The remaining 13 Democrats opposed the amendment. One of the Democrats who voted ‘yes’ said he meant to vote ‘no.’

On March 7, State Rep. Dale Hawkins (R-2B) introduced the amendment into the legislature, saying, “Today I took a page out of the Trump administration’s book and proposed a constitutional amendment making English the official language of the state of Idaho.” President Donald Trump (R) issued an executive order “[designating] English as the official language of the United States” on March 1, 2025.

Sen. Brian Lenney (R-13), who supported the amendment, said, “This is a resolution that essentially says that language matters. It speaks to who we are as a nation. It binds us together as a people. It ties us to our history, our heroes and our heritage.” Sen. Melissa Wintrow (D-19), who voted against the amendment, said, “It’s pretty clear that English is our official language, and now we’re going to spend $300,000 to put it on the ballot — when we are struggling to pay the bills.”

Of the 30 states that have designated English as their official language, three—Alaska, Hawaii, and South Dakota—also recognize some indigenous languages as co-official languages. Most (27) of these states adopted their official language between the 1980s and 2000s, with a median year of 1988.