BOISE, ID – Ninety-six percent of all registered voters in Idaho believe that public lands should remain in public hands, according to a new poll paid for by Conservation Voters for Idaho.

The poll was conducted in the aftermath of a federal proposal from U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to make millions of acres of public land in the U.S., including in Idaho, available to be sold off.

The poll specifically asked Idaho voters questions about Idaho public lands and who they support in Idaho’s 2026 U.S. Senate race.

Alexis Pickering, executive director of Conservation Voters for Idaho, said she has never in her career seen Idahoans from all sides of the political spectrum unite behind a single issue like they have behind public lands this year.

“It really is clear that voters are unified in keeping public lands in public hands,” Pickering said in a phone interview Wednesday.

“It demonstrates that Idaho voters are very cognizant of this fight right now,” Pickering said. “They are very engaged, and they are not going to sit this out.”

More than 60% of the land in Idaho is public land of some form.

Idaho’s registered voters are clear on their support for public access to public lands

The polling firm Change Research conducted the poll among 1,027 registered Idaho voters from July 15-17. The margin of error was 3.2%, according to Change Research.

One poll question asked voters, “Did you support or oppose the amendment to sell off over 3 million acres of public land across 11 Western states, including Idaho?” – with 87% of respondents saying they opposed it.

Another poll question asked voters which statement came closest to their opinion:

• Public lands in Idaho, where people enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, and biking, should remain public and be protected so that everyone can keep enjoying them.
• Public lands in Idaho, where people enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, and biking, should be made available for purchase and private ownership.

Ninety-six percent of Idaho registered voters said public lands should remain public, including 97% of registered Democrats and 95% of registered Republicans, the poll found.

Lee withdrew his amendment to sell public lands after a public backlash and three of Idaho’s four members of Congress provided public opposition from within the Republican Party to selling public lands.

Even though the public lands amendment was withdrawn, Pickering said the issue isn’t going away. She said Conservation Voters for Idaho plans to highlight public lands as a central issue and continue to hold elected officials accountable for keeping public lands public.

Pickering also said the public is deeply invested in the issue and knows Lee could file another proposal to sell public lands. She compared the proposal to sell public lands to waking a sleeping bear.

“Now that they have woken the bear, it will be really hard to get that bear back in hibernation mode,” Pickering said.

How Idaho’s congressional delegation responded to public lands proposal

Three of Idaho’s four members of Congress, U.S. Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo and U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, all R-Idaho, provided public Republican opposition to the proposal to sell off public lands, the Sun previously reported.

On June 20, Risch and Crapo, both announced they were opposed to the provision in the budget reconciliation process to sell off public lands. Simpson co-sponsored the Public Lands in Public Hands Act.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, opposed the Public Lands in Public Hands Act, the Utah News Dispatch reported.

In a phone interview with the Idaho Capital Sun earlier this month, Fulcher said, “public land should remain public, but the control, management should be local stakeholders, not the federal government.”

Polling data shows that Risch received a 10% bump in support among all registered voters after they learned Risch provided opposition to the proposal to sell off public lands, up from 41% to 51%. Among registered Republican voters only, Risch’s support increased from 60% to 72% after voters learned Risch provided opposition to the proposal to sell off public lands.

The poll only asked voters about Risch’s upcoming U.S. Senate race, where he faces re-election in 2026. The poll did not ask about Crapo, Simpson or Fulcher, Pickering said.

This story first appeared on Idaho Capital Sun.