Secretary of State seeks recurring funding for voter guide, software subscriptions and transition staff

At a Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee hearing, Secretary of State Phil McGrane asked for ongoing and one‑time appropriations to support a voter guide mailed to Idaho households, sustain new software subscriptions for campaign finance and lobbyist reporting, and fund a one‑time double‑fill to train a deputy business director ahead of an anticipated retirement.

Why it matters: The Secretary of State’s office oversees elections, business filings and several statutory commissions; the committee heard that prior one‑time investments of $10 million for election system upgrades have produced new tools including a campaign finance system, a lobbyist reporting system and the Vote Idaho website. The office framed continued funding as necessary to maintain services and meet rising costs such as postage.

Details presented: Analyst Christopher LaHoset summarized the office’s FY2024–FY2025 budget history and enhancements. The office requested: - $400,000 ongoing from the general fund to design, print and mail a voter guide to every Idaho household (LaHoset corrected an earlier typographical error and said the estimated FY2026 costs are $300,000 for mailing and $100,000 for printing). - One‑time funding to double‑fill the deputy business director position so a new hire can train alongside the current deputy before retirement (no new FTP requested). - $287,100 ongoing for software subscriptions (campaign finance and lobbyist systems plus website plug‑ins and online public‑records tools); a $26,000 one‑time fee to cover a federal upgrade to a DMV/driver‑license matching service used for voter registration validation. - Ongoing funding for IT training and travel; periodic funding for publications (Idaho Blue Book / Constitution) and increased postage due to USPS rate changes.

Secretary McGrane said voter demand for a voter guide is high based on polling and that the office aims to publish candidate information for both primary and general elections. On the DMV access fee, McGrane explained the $26,000 item is a one‑time federal assessment related to a backend upgrade; the office will continue to pay an ongoing quarterly subscription for the service thereafter.

The committee questioned cadence and cost structure for the voter guide and whether the guide should be funded by legislation rather than as a recurring appropriation. McGrane said the guide is a primary policy initiative for his office and that the fiscal year timing (primary and general elections fall in different fiscal years) explains the annual budget request.

Ending: McGrane closed by noting the office has already delivered major IT projects from prior one‑time funds and that an RFP for an election management system replacement is in process. Committee members said they appreciated the transparent RFP process; no formal vote occurred during the presentation.