Secretary of State Seeks General Fund Support for Voter guides, public-access grant and new licensing positions in FY26 budget

Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas told the Senate Appropriations Committee on March 27 that the office is preparing its FY 2026 budget around rising personnel and health-care costs, declining business-services revenue and major one-time investments in aging IT systems.

The request includes a mix of general fund asks and targeted uses of other funds tied to new regulatory work. “We are anticipating and preparing for, rising costs at the secretary of state's office,” Copeland Hanzas said, citing both predictable personnel costs and the need to maintain the Secretary of State Service Fund, which fluctuates with business-services revenue.

Why it matters: the office administers elections, professional licensing through the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), and several civic programs. The testimony warned that federal election grants that previously covered roughly 60% of elections-related spending are no longer expected going forward, raising the prospect that the state will need to appropriate money in election years.

Key budget requests and program items

- Voter guide: The office asked for $1,500,000 in general funds to produce and mail a printed voter guide to one…